Trump disowns art centre he seized after court finds it can't be named after him

A US JUDGE on Friday ruled that the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts had been illegally renamed after president Donald Trump and that his name must be taken down.

A furious Trump reacted by saying that he was giving up control of the “dying” Washington arts venue.

“Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into ‘NEVER NEVER LAND,” he said.

Trump seized the centre at the start of his second term last year by naming himself its chairman.

The arts venue in the heart of the US capital was named in honour of president John F Kennedy. Last December, the centre’s governing board, which Trump stacked with his allies, voted to rename itself the “Trump Kennedy Center.”

The Republican president’s name was soon added to the facade in large golden letters above that of Kennedy.

Now judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the board “overstepped its statutory bounds by unilaterally renaming the Kennedy Center after President Trump”.

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Cooper’s ruling stated that only Congress has the right to change the centre’s name and gave the administration 14 days to remove Trump’s name from the facade and any materials linked to the venue.

“Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” the ruling said.

Cooper also issued a temporary block on Trump’s demand to close the Kennedy Center for two years of renovations, which was due to start in July.

Since returning for a second term in January 2025, Trump has taken repeated measures to put his name and image in official spaces – an abrupt break with US political tradition.

The disbanded US Institute of Peace has been renamed after Trump, and his face stares down from huge banners outside the Department of Justice and Department of Agriculture.

The Trump administration is seeking to have his image on a $250 (€210) bill to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary since independence from the UK.

In another upending of tradition, Trump ordered the East Wing of the White House to be torn down – with little public warning or debate – to make way for what he says will be a huge ballroom.

With additional reporting from AFP.

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