News24 | Kennedy Center ordered to remove Trump name after federal court ruling

The Kennedy Center in Washington on Thursday ordered staff to remove US President Donald Trump’s name from ‌the institution to comply with a federal court ruling, according to two people familiar with the directive.

The memo from the John F Kennedy Center’s general counsel is the first indication it is moving to reverse the name change made by Trump to the iconic building in 2025.

Trump said last week he was directing his administration to conduct a “complete transfer” ⁠of the centre’s operations to Congress in response to the court ruling.

“You must immediately change email signatures, letterhead, and other documents to reflect the name as ‘The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’, or ‘Kennedy Center’,” the memo, which was seen by Reuters, said.

Other changes like signage, brochures, and websites “must be completed” by 12 June.

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In December, Trump added his name before Kennedy’s on the facade of the white marble building, prompting a lawsuit from Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, a member of the Kennedy Center’s board.

On 29 May, a federal judge in Washington ruled that the centre ‌cannot ⁠be renamed without an act of Congress.

US District Judge Christopher Cooper directed the Trump administration to take down all physical signage bearing Trump’s name and to eliminate any references to a “Trump Kennedy Center” from official materials within 14 days.

It is unclear when the Republican president’s name will be physically removed from the building.

The ⁠Kennedy Center opened in 1971 as a memorial to the late president, who was assassinated in 1963.

Its board voted in December to alter the centre’s name to include Trump, who had replaced several board members ⁠and appointed himself a trustee.

NEW: President Donald Trump's name must come off the Kennedy Center by June 12, according to a memo issued to the national arts center staff Thursday following a court ruling that found the rebrand was illegal. https://t.co/qxOhSc1Eq1

AFP reported that Trump on Thursday announced plans to add a potential “Trump promenade” to the iconic Lincoln Memorial, in his latest grandiose bid to leave his mark on the US capital.

Trump said the walkway would link the huge marble monument, built to commemorate Civil War-era president Abraham Lincoln, to the nearby Potomac River.

“They want to call it the Trump Promenade,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office as he unveiled the project for the first time.

“I don’t know if I want to do that, but it’s going to be bea