Unassigned

Judge Blocks the Kennedy Center Board From Putting Trump's Name on the Building or Grounds

Brett T.
Brett T.  |  10:00 PM on September 15, 2026

All this editor has to do is search the Twitchy archives for the phrase "judge blocks" to pull up dozens and dozens of posts about federal judges blocking President Donald Trump's agenda. Now a judge is blocking Trump's name from appearing in any way on the building or grounds of the Kennedy Center, which he restored.

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You'll, of course, remember Jim Acosta staking out the Kennedy Center to catch the moment when Trump’s name on the facade was taken down. Acosta reported that it was "very much like watching the Berlin Wall coming down" and that it was "a sign that humankind can stand up against tyranny."

Then, Acosta was hit hard when the Kennedy Center board voted to add "Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump" under the building’s name and said that he wanted the board members responsible jailed.

On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that a federal judge had blocked the Kennedy Center board from putting Trump's name anywhere on the building or grounds.

Steven Sloan and Ashraf Khalil report:

The Trump-aligned Kennedy Center board voted on Tuesday to close most of the iconic performing arts venue just hours after a federal judge blocked the institution from returning President Donald Trump’s name to the building.

In a social media post, Trump said the closure was needed for safety repairs. But he said the repairs, which Congress has allocated $257 million to cover, would only happen if the board was allowed to move forward with plans to add his name to the building. A federal judge has twice said that can’t happen without the approval of Congress.

“Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing,” U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said in the latest ruling on Tuesday.

The Justice Department appealed the ruling. Trump, who was named the Kennedy Center’s chairman last year by loyalists on the board, participated in the virtual board meeting and said on social media he’d given $17 million to an endowment intended to support the institution.

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Damn him for wanting to restore the building. The next Democratic candidate for president had better promise to undo all of the renovations and put the holes back in the roof.

The post continues:

… take place immediately, however, the Renovation and Reconstruction, which is a very large and complex job, cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board’s approved name. If the ruling is a negative one, which it should not be, and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place."

"The attorneys from the DOJ will ask for an expedited appeal. In the meantime, 17 Million Dollars, raised by President Trump, has been put into The Kennedy Center account to keep it afloat. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP"

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Just as we never knew there was so much love and reverence for the East Wing until Trump tore it down, we never knew the Kennedy Center was a sacred space to liberals.

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