Trump's name poised to be removed from Kennedy Center after court denies last-minute move to keep it

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Associated Press

Trump's name poised to be removed from Kennedy Center after court denies last-minute move to keep it

By STEVEN SLOAN
Updated 7:23 PM EDT, June 12, 2026
Leer en espaol
Comments 192

WASHINGTON (AP) -- An appeals court rejected a last-ditch effort by the Kennedy Center's leadership to keep President Donald Trump's name on the building, leaving the institution with few options other than removing the name in the coming hours.

With storms dancing around Washington before a court-ordered deadline to remove references to Trump, workers were seen building scaffolding around a section of the building that includes the president's name. A crowd gathered nearby and cheered their work as Trump's name moved closer to being taken down.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled Trump's name was illegally added to the iconic Washington performing arts facility and ordered it removed by Friday. Late Thursday, Trump's handpicked board at the center mounted a last-minute effort to keep his name on the facade of the iconic performing arts facility, a request that Cooper denied.

A June 4 memo to staff from the Kennedy Center's Office of General Counsel said email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" or "Kennedy Center."

The Kennedy Center's website has dropped Trump's name. And an earlier email sent to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony came from the Kennedy Center without including Trump's name.

{snip}

___

Associated Press journalists Mark Sherman and Emily Wang in Washington and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.

STEVEN SLOAN
STEVEN SLOAN
Sloan is the Washington correspondent at The Associated Press. He managed the AP's coverage of the 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns.
twitter

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-name-kennedy-center-e6caa6a7c6115671490278491ee9e96c

---

I think this refers to the request for a stay DOJ filed at 3:46 p.m.

It does.

[bluestarone]

1. AMEN AMEN AMEN!!

Now RIPPED them fucking letters off!!

[2MuchNoise]

2. Get on with it! Take it down now! Or, as my mother used to say...

"Stop fartin' around".

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. "BREAKING: DC Circuit DENIES the Trump administration's request for an immediate administrative stay."

Chris Geidner
‪@chrisgeidner.bsky.social‬

BREAKING: DC Circuit DENIES the Trump administration's request for an immediate administrative stay in the Kennedy Center case.

The court also slow-walks the briefing on the request for a stay pending appeal through the end of June.

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cadc.43300/gov.uscourts.cadc.43300.01208860420.0.pdf

United States Court of Appeals
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT
____________
No. 26-5224 September Term, 2025
1:25-cv-04480-CRC
Filed On: June 12, 2026
Joyce Beatty,
Appellee
v.
Donald J. Trump, et al.,
Appellants
BEFORE: Millett, Wilkins, and Katsas, Circuit Judges
O R D E R
Upon consideration of the emergency motion for a stay pending appeal and an
immediate administrative stay, and the opposition to the motion for an immediate
administrative stay, it is
ORDERED that the motion for an immediate administrative stay be denied. It is
FURTHER ORDERED that appellee file a response to the emergency motion for
a stay pending appeal by June 22, 2026. Any reply is due by June 29, 2026.
Per Curiam
ALT

‪Chris Geidner‬
‪@chrisgeidner.bsky.social‬
· 1h

WHAT'S UP AT THE KENNEDY CENTER?

As of now, "TRUMP" needs to be down by the end of the day, per Judge Cooper's order from two weeks ago: www.lawdork.com/p/federal-ju...

DOJ asked for a stay Thursday; Cooper denied it this morning. This afternoon, DOJ asked the DC Circuit for a stay. —>
7:17 PM · Jun 12, 2026

BREAKING: DC Circuit DENIES the Trump administration's request for an immediate administrative stay in the Kennedy Center case.

The court also slow-walks the briefing on the request for a stay pending appeal through the end of June.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner.bsky.social) 2026-06-12T23:17:07.769Z

[Lovie777]

4. Some claim that shithole must have wrote the last minute motion himself................

and it's off the wall.

[SheltieLover]

5. Will they run to scRotus with their hair on fire?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. No one's going to be climbing up on a scaffold for awhile.

Blame OSHA.

Capital Weather
‪@capitalweather.bsky.social‬

720p: Intense storms from just west of McLean to Manassas, about to enter southern half of Beltway area. In path: Falls Church, Springfield, Alexandria + Dale City; eventually DC + Nats Park (nearer 8p). Damaging wind gusts poss; head inside ahead of these storms.

Updates at https://capitalweather.com/


7:19 PM · Jun 12, 2026

720p: Intense storms from just west of McLean to Manassas, about to enter southern half of Beltway area. In path: Falls Church, Springfield, Alexandria + Dale City; eventually DC + Nats Park (nearer 8p). Damaging wind gusts poss; head inside ahead of these storms.

Updates at capitalweather.com

— Capital Weather (@capitalweather.bsky.social) 2026-06-12T23:19:54.833Z

[BumRushDaShow]

7. They threw the order in a different Courtlistener location

probably one with appellate decisions.

Regardless, that was unanimous!

They do have more work to do -

FURTHER ORDERED that appellee file a response to the emergency motion for
a stay pending appeal by June 22, 2026. Any reply is due by June 29, 2026.

They will probably go whining to Roberts now.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. It ain't over 'til it's over.

The thunderstorm is going through right now. I'm 6 miles due south of the KC. They've probably got the same weather there that I've got here.

The episode of "Monk" that is just ending was a good one. I'm going to finish my glass of wine and see what's coming on next.

Unless Trump orders a missile strike on the KC. At this point, who can say.

See ya.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

9. This is textbook violation of fiduciary duty on behalf of the Board -- it's deliberately sabotaging your own institution.

Reposted by Very Strong Popehat Of Understanding
https://bsky.app/profile/kenwhite.bsky.social

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
‪@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social‬

This is textbook violation of fiduciary duty on behalf of the Board — it's deliberately sabotaging your own institution to make a political point. Every Board member who voted for this is breaking their oath.

‪Liz Dye‬
‪@lizdye.bsky.social‬
· 3h
The Kennedy Center board has filed an emergency motion to stay at the DC Circuit and it is bonkity-bonkers.

For the first time, they say they amended the bylaws to strip all funding from the center if it removes Trump's name.

No Trump KC, no money.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

resolution of this motion, and ask the Court to rule on that request no later than
7 PM. Without the name, “Trump” on the Building, our fundraising will not
only come to a halt, but any and all monies raised or committed would be
obligated to be returned, refunded, or terminated. The Bylaws of The Trump
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Foundation state, unequivocally: “The
Corporation may make donations to the Center in support of its educational,
artistic, cultural, and performing arts functions; provided, however, that in so
doing, the Board of Directors shall condition such donations to the Center upon
the name of the Center remaining unchanged as the ‘Donald J. Trump and John
F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.’ In the event the Center
should at any time remove the name of President Donald J. Trump from its
filings, marketing, branding, façade, or any other affiliated location, the
Corporation shall recover from the Center the total of all gifts, donations, and
contributions made to the Center by or on behalf of the Corporation.” The
reason for this clause is that people and companies, who have given, or will be
giving, millions of dollars to the Center were only willing to do so with the name
4:44 PM · Jun 12, 2026

This is textbook violation of fiduciary duty on behalf of the Board — it's deliberately sabotaging your own institution to make a political point. Every Board member who voted for this is breaking their oath.

— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social) 2026-06-12T20:44:43.522Z

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. WJLA's live video feed from the Kennedy Center is back up.

WJLA's live video feed from the Kennedy Center is back up.

WATCH: Crews begin work to remove Trump's name from the Kennedy Center

ABC 7 News - WJLA
699 Likes
3,034 Viewers
Jun 12 2026
Crews have begun efforts to remove President Donald Trump's name from the front of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in D.C. on the final day of a federal judge's deadline.

READ MORE: https://wjla.com/news/local/kenn...

ABC 7 News - WJLA
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