President Donald Trump said Saturday he is backing away from plans to renovate the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, hours after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper issued a ruling blocking the project and ordering the administration to strip Trump’s name from the venue.
The decision halts a contentious initiative that would have shuttered the landmark Washington performing arts venue for a two-year overhaul. The administration had argued the closure was necessary to address long-standing structural and maintenance deficiencies, but preservation groups and congressional lawmakers challenged the move in court.
Judge Cooper, who sits on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, issued the order on Friday, finding the administration’s renovation plan exceeded its statutory authority. In addition to stopping the physical work, Cooper mandated that the institution’s name be reverted to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, reversing a rebranding effort that faced sustained criticism from arts advocates and lawmakers.
Trump responded to the setback with a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform, where he denounced Cooper as “an anti Trump Hater.” The president suggested the ruling was part of a broader pattern of judicial resistance against his agenda.
“It’s impossible for me to be treated fairly,” Trump wrote, citing the ruling alongside the Supreme Court’s February rejection of his proposed tariff framework and a series of other recent court losses. He warned that the center will “soon be closed, probably never to open again.”
Despite the public criticism of the court’s decision, Trump acknowledged the legal ruling’s finality and outlined a path forward. He said he is arranging to relinquish control of the Kennedy Center back to Congress, effectively returning the facility to its traditional oversight structure.
The venue has operated under the Trump administration’s management since the beginning of his second term, following a leadership shakeup that saw former staff installed in executive roles. The administration had initially framed the renovation as a necessary modernization project, but critics argued the plan threatened the building’s historic integrity and lacked adequate congressional approval.
The closure and name-change battle had drawn attention from cultural institutions and lawmakers for months. Preservationists filed suit arguing that the proposed structural alterations violated historic conservation standards, while congressional committees raised questions about the legal authority to rebrand a federally chartered institution named for the 35th president.
The Friday ruling concludes the immediate legal dispute over the renovation scope, though questions remain about how the administration will formally transfer operational responsibilities to congressional committees. The Kennedy Center is expected to remain open to the public under its current mandate as the federal court order takes effect.