The first phase of President Donald Trump’s purging from the Kennedy Center has begun.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has scrubbed Trump’s name from its website and its YouTube channel after a federal judge ruled the renaming of the venue by its board of trustees was illegal.
The building itself, as well as some of the center’s other social media pages, still include Trump’s name in the title as of Monday afternoon.
The White House did not immediately return the Daily Beast’s request for comment on the scrubbing of Trump’s name from the venue.
Lawyers for the center informed employees in a memo on Thursday that they “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 also ordered that any changes to interior or exterior signage, including Trump’s name slapped on the building’s facade, must be restored to its original title by Friday—two days before Trump’s 80th birthday.
The orders follow a ruling made by Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper on May 29—the birthday of former President John F. Kennedy, the center’s namesake—in favor of Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, who sued over the center’s renaming and closure.
Beatty, an ex officio member of the center’s board of trustees, said she had tried to voice her concerns during the board’s vote but was “censored” by other members, among whom are fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham.
Cooper ruled that the addition of Trump’s name to the center, of which he became its chairman in February 2025, was unlawful, and that only Congress can change the venue’s name.
Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi told the Daily Beast in a statement that the venue was “complying with the court’s order while evaluating all legal options to preserve this revitalization and recognize President Trump’s leadership.”
Trump, 79, plastered his name on the historic institution, which was created in 1964 in honor of the slain President John F. Kennedy, in December after packing its board of trustees with sycophants.
Following his firing of its former director, Ric Grenell, the president announced that the center would undergo renovations for two years starting in July, leaving many of its employees out of work.
Trump’s decision came after a slew of performers dropped out of scheduled shows, and shows that weren’t canceled had low ticket sales.
