Kennedy Center staff have been given a deadline to erase Donald Trump’s name from the famed institution. The directive follows a federal court ruling that the Trump board illegally rebranded the memorial to John F. Kennedy. The directive was set out in a memo issued on Thursday by the centre’s Office of the General Counsel. It follows a May 29 court ruling that gave the institution two weeks to scrub all references suggesting the building is named for anyone other than John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy Center staff reportedly told to remove Donald Trump’s name
The memo instructs Kennedy Center employees to immediately delete Donald Trump’s name from email signatures, letterhead, and official documents. Staff must replace “The Kennedy Center, President Donald J. Trump Chairman” with either “The Kennedy Center” or the institution’s full legal name, “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.”
Beyond day-to-day communications, the order covers a sweeping range of physical and digital materials. Templates, forms, signage, brochures, and website pages must all be updated by the June 12 deadline. The visible branding that briefly marked Trump’s chairmanship is set to disappear from the Washington landmark.
The lawsuit began in December, when a board stacked with Trump appointees voted unanimously to append his name to the center. The Kennedy family condemned the decision, and opponents argued it violated the 1964 statute that established the venue. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper recently sided with the challengers, writing that the law makes it “crystal clear” that only Congress can rename the building. “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” Cooper wrote in his ruling.
The Kennedy Centre says it is following the court’s instruction while weighing its next steps. Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, told PBS News that the institution was complying but keeping its options open. “We are complying with the court’s order while evaluating all legal options to preserve this revitalization and recognize President Trump’s leadership,” she said.
Days before the memo was issued, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum declined on CNN to commit to removing the name.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
