Judge denies Kennedy Center request for pause in ruling ordering Trump's name removed from building

A worker sits on scaffolding at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

A judge on Friday denied a request from the Kennedy Center to pause a ruling ordering President Donald Trump’s name removed from building.

Unless the Kennedy Center decides to appeal the decision from U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, the decision raises the prospect that Trump’s name will be removed from the building. In his ruling last month, Cooper said only Congress could institute a change to the Kennedy Center’s name and ordered that references to Trump be removed by Friday.

A Kennedy Center spokesperson didn’t immediately comment on the ruling. Workers were seen building scaffolding around a section of the building that includes Trump’s name.