Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and attorneys representing the Kennedy Center insisted Thursday that the Washington, D.C., performing arts center will not be renamed after President Donald Trump, despite plans to add his name back onto the building. Lutnick attended an emergency hearing about the president's efforts to make changes to the building, opened in memory of President John F. Kennedy, and told reporters the building was at risk of being pulled down if a two-year closure for refurbishment was not allowed to proceed.
The judge reportedly cut off those arguments about the need for refurbishment, asking why the current leadership had appeared to violate his prior order to take Trump's name off the building. "So, the president has said, 'I'm interested in saving this institution.' The fact that he's interested in it is great," Lutnick said outside court, adding that the center's board had voted to approve renovations aided by Trump. "They want to acknowledge him, the way all these institutions do...This is the board classically capturing the greatest fundraiser and greatest builder ever, by putting his name on it." Newsweek reached out to the U.S.
Department of Justice and the plaintiff's attorney for comment. The latest court fight stems from Trump's long-running effort to reshape the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts since returning to office in January 2025.
After replacing members of the traditionally bipartisan board with allies, Trump's appointees moved to exert greater control over the institution's operations, programming and future direction. The changes sparked resistance from artists, cultural figures and some board members, while setting off a legal battle over whether the administration could alter a federally designated memorial created to honor Kennedy. The dispute intensified when the board voted to place Trump's name on the building and later approved plans to close much of the center for a major renovation project.
Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex officio board member, sued, arguing the board lacked authority to change the name of a national memorial that Congress established in Kennedy's honor. A federal judge ultimately agreed, ruling that only Congress can rename the institution. District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered Trump's name removed from the Kennedy Center's facade after finding that the board's earlier attempt to rename the venue violated federal law.
Cooper wrote that the Kennedy Center's governing statute made clear that it was to be a memorial to President Kennedy and that Congress, not the board of trustees, controlled its official name. The judge also rejected an earlier effort to close the center for two years while renovations were carried out, describing the board's actions as inadequately justified. Following the ruling, crews removed Trump's name from the building in June, although large tarps remained on the facade for days afterward, sparking additional controversy and court scrutiny over whether officials were complying with the order.
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