The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has rejected the Kennedy Center's attempt to reinstate President Donald Trump's name to the arts institution while its appeal is ongoing. On 8 July 2026, the three-judge panel denied a motion to stay a lower court's order that Trump's name be removed, meaning the name will remain off the building for the foreseeable future. The ruling reaffirms that the administration's effort to rename the centre after Trump was unlawful, and underlines the principle that public institutions cannot be used for a president's personal branding.

The dispute stems from a May 2026 decision by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who ruled in favour of Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) and ordered Trump's name stripped from the façade, signage, official website and trademark applications. The court cited a 1964 federal law that it said "crystal clear" barred the board from renaming the centre without Congress. Justice Department lawyers had argued that removing the name would harm fundraising and contribute to the centre's "financial decline", but the appeals court found this claim was "factually unsupported" and backed only by conclusory assertions from the executive director. Workers removed "Donald J. Trump" from the building on 13 June, though that section remains covered by large tarps.