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The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts on May 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. <\/p>\n
Al Drago | Getty Images News | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
A federal judge on Friday barred President Donald Trump<\/a> from adding his name to that of the Kennedy Center<\/a>, as he did in late December, saying that only Congress has the authority to make such a change.<\/p>\n Judge Christopher Cooper also temporarily blocked the Washington, D.C., cultural landmark from being closed for two years for renovations at the behest of Trump. <\/p>\n Cooper, in his ruling<\/a>, said the Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees did not balance its obligations to the center in deciding to shutter for renovations.<\/p>\n But the board might be able to close for that purpose “after independently balancing its multiple obligations to the Center in a prudent fashion,” the judge wrote in the decision in U.S. District Court in Washington.<\/p>\n The Kennedy Center’s board in December voted to rename the institution the “Trump Kennedy Center<\/a>,” 10 months after Trump removed several trustees from the board and appointed himself as a trustee. The center’s facade was changed to reflect the decision, as were other signs around the facility.<\/p>\n