Trump criticizes the judge who ordered his name removed from the Kennedy Center
President Trump attacked the federal judge who blocked his plan to close the Kennedy Center for a two-year renovation. Real Social post Saturday, a day after a judge ordered the president’s name removed from the building.
In a 94-page opinion released Friday on what would have been President John F. Kennedy’s 109th birthday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper sided with Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and official member of the Kennedy Center board of directors. Cooper, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, found that the Trump-stacked board exceeded its authority by voting to rebrand the institution as the “Trump Kennedy Center” in December 2025 and approving a closure in March set to begin around July 4.
“The Kennedy Center’s organic charter makes clear that the Center will be named after President Kennedy and may not bear any other official name or public memorial based on a unilateral declaration by the Board of Directors,” Cooper wrote. “Congress named the Kennedy Center, and only Congress can change that.”
Cooper gave the administration 14 days to remove Trump’s name from the building’s facade, website and official materials. He did not stop repairs from continuing and said the board could try to close the venue again if it followed the proper process.
In a post published Saturday morning, Trump called Cooper the “Barack Hussein Obama Judge” and accused him of standing in the way of a “spectacular” rebuild that he said would replace rotting beams, decades-old HVAC equipment and damaged marble. The president also attacked Cooper’s wife, attorney Amy Jeffress, claiming she is “fully affiliated with the Left System” and represents a “Conflict of Interest” that would force Cooper to step aside.
“He has a complete Conflict of Interest and should be impeached for not disclosing these facts,” Trump wrote. “That’s why the Kennedy Center will soon be closed and will probably never reopen.”
Jeffress is a former federal prosecutor who advised former Attorney General Eric Holder during the Obama administration. He represented the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, and signed on as former President Joe Biden’s personal attorney in 2025. partner At Hecker Fink LLP.
Trump closed his post by tying the Kennedy Center decision to other recent court losses, including a federal court ruling against some tariffs, and chanted “FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!” he promised.
In a separate Truth Social post, Trump said his team is now working with Congress to “turn this failing Agency back to them so they can decide what to do.”
