Lawmaker Asks Federal Judge to Order Reversal of ‘Trump‑Kennedy Center’ Renaming
Democratic lawmaker Beatty asked a federal judge to force the Kennedy Center and the Trump administration to block and reverse efforts to attach former President Trump’s name to the venue, arguing Congress intended it to be named only for John F. Kennedy and was “particularly sensitive that no other names appear” on the memorial’s exterior. The filing follows a December vote by Trump’s handpicked board to rename the site the “Trump‑Kennedy Center” and the addition of his name to the facade, website and social media; Beatty’s lawyers, Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky, call the change an “abuse of power,” and a separate coalition of preservation groups is also suing over related renovations and a two‑year closure.
📌 Key Facts
- Democratic lawmaker Beatty filed a motion asking a federal judge to force the Kennedy Center to block and reverse efforts to attach Donald Trump's name to the venue, arguing Congress intended it be named only for John F. Kennedy and was "particularly sensitive that no other names appear" on the Center's exterior walls.
- Trump’s handpicked board voted in December to rename the venue the "Trump‑Kennedy Center," and Trump's name has already been added to the building's facade, the Kennedy Center's website and its social media accounts.
- Beatty's lawyers, Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky, called the renaming an "abuse of power" and an "attack on the rule of law and the memory of John Kennedy," and are asking the court to "enforce the law and reverse this illegal renaming."
- A separate coalition of eight preservation groups is suing to block physical renovations tied to a two‑year closure ordered by Trump.
- A judge recently allowed Beatty to attend, but not to vote in, a Kennedy Center board meeting concerning the closure.
📊 Relevant Data
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was officially named by Public Law 88-260 in 1964, and its governing statute in the U.S. Code (Title 20, Chapter 76A) establishes the board as the Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, indicating that any name change may require congressional action.
Public Law 88-260 — U.S. Congress
In 2025, the Kennedy Center revised its bylaws to allow only presidentially-appointed trustees to vote on key issues, excluding ex officio members such as congressional Democrats, which enabled the board's unanimous vote to rename the center.
Kennedy Center changed board rules months before vote to add Trump’s name — The Washington Post
The Trump administration secured $257 million in congressional funding for Kennedy Center renovations, which the board cited as justification for adding Trump's name to the venue.
Trump's handpicked Kennedy Center board approves two-year closure for renovations — CNN
According to the 2022 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, 25.2% of non-Hispanic White adults attended 'other' performing arts events (up from 17.3% in 2017), compared to 14.2% of Hispanic adults (up from 8.0%), 15.6% of non-Hispanic Black adults (up from 12.2%), and 10.2% of non-Hispanic Asian adults (down from 15.7%), with U.S. population shares approximately 58% White, 19% Hispanic, 13% Black, and 6% Asian.
Arts Participation Patterns in 2022: Highlights from the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts — National Endowment for the Arts
A February 2026 Economist/YouGov poll found that 61% of Americans disapprove of renaming the Kennedy Center to include Trump's name, with disapproval rates higher among Democrats (vast majorities) compared to Republicans.
Trump International Airport? Most Americans disapprove of renaming Dulles — YouGov
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Beatty’s new motion explicitly asks a federal judge to force the Kennedy Center to block and reverse efforts to attach Trump's name to the venue, emphasizing that Congress intended it be named only for John F. Kennedy.
- The filing argues Congress was "particularly sensitive that no other names appear" on the Center’s exterior walls beyond its designation as a memorial to Kennedy.
- The article notes Trump’s handpicked board voted in December to rename the venue the Trump‑Kennedy Center, and that Trump’s name has already been added to the facade, website and social media.
- Beatty’s lawyers, Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky, publicly characterize the renaming as an "abuse of power" and an "attack on the rule of law and the memory of John Kennedy" and say they are asking the court to "enforce the law and reverse this illegal renaming."
- The piece reiterates that a separate coalition of eight preservation groups is suing to block physical renovations tied to a two‑year closure ordered by Trump and that a judge recently allowed Beatty to attend, but not vote in, a board meeting on the closure.