Judge Orders Trump Administration to Report on Kennedy Center Tarp by July 31

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper on June 25 ordered the Trump administration to file a joint status report on the tarp and scaffolding at the Kennedy Center. The report must be submitted within seven days of a mid-July Kennedy Center Board of Trustees meeting or by July 31, whichever is earlier.

Cooper wrote that the report shall apprise the court of any pertinent factual developments as to plans for future construction and operations at the Kennedy Center. It must also indicate the purpose for and status of the tarp and scaffolding on the front portico, to the extent they remain at that time.

The tarp was installed on June 13, the same day workers removed President Trump's name from the facade in a predawn operation.

That removal followed a court order after a federal judge ruled last month that the Kennedy Center board lacked authority to add the name. Only Congress can change the building's name, the ruling stated. Congress named the building the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1964.

Kennedy Center executive director Matt Floca submitted a sworn court declaration stating that President Trump's name is no longer affixed to the building. A Kennedy Center official told the court on June 13 that all references to President Trump had been removed from the building and online.

Mallory Miller, co-founder of Hands Off the Arts, provided photos showing the removal. The signage had been changed in December 2025 to read “The Donald J. ” after a vote by the center's board.