A federal judge has ordered the Kennedy Center to explain why a blue-and-white tarp has obscured its facade for more than two months, a move DOJ lawyers say is tied to "water testing and structural repairs." Rep. Joyce Beatty, who is suing over the center's renaming, alleges the covering is meant to hide a restored "John F. Kennedy" name. The dispute follows a December 2025 vote by a Trump-appointed board to add former President Donald J. Trump's name to the building and a May ruling by Judge Christopher Cooper that the renaming was unlawful.
Judge Demands Explanation for Tarp Hiding Kennedy Center Facade Amid Renaming Dispute
Nathan Howard / Nathan Howard, REUTERS
A federal judge has ordered the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to explain why a large blue-and-white tarp has covered its front facade for more than two months, prompting renewed scrutiny of the institution's controversial renaming and recent board actions.
Attorneys for the Department of Justice, speaking on the center's behalf, told the court that the covering is part of necessary maintenance.
Rep. Joyce Beatty claimed she was muted and censored when attempting to object to the renaming of the Kennedy Center. / Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag
"Water testing and structural repairs to the roof overhang of the Center's front portico require the use of a scaffolding system, including a protective covering—a tarp—around that scaffolding." —DOJ attorneys
But Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, who has sued over the center's proposed changes, rejected that explanation and says the tarp is intended to obscure the restored "John F. Kennedy" name on the building's facade.
Beatty's lawyers noted that only the facade where the center's name appears is covered, while other parts of the building remain exposed. In court filings they wrote that the selective covering "strongly indicates that this structure has nothing to do with the roof and is, instead, meant to defy a return to the status quo."
In the first weeks of his second presidency Donald Trump appointed himself as chairman of the Kennedy Center. / JIM WATSON / Jim Watson, Getty Images
Background
The dispute is the latest chapter in a high-profile clash over former President Donald J. Trump's efforts to put his imprint on the landmark arts institution. Early in his second term, Trump dismissed half of the Kennedy Center's board, replaced those members with his allies, and appointed himself chairman.
In December 2025, the new board voted unanimously to add Trump's name to the Kennedy Center; his name appeared on the building's exterior the following day. In May, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the renaming was unlawful, concluding that only Congress has the authority to change the center's name. Judge Cooper ordered Trump's name and related branding removed from the facade and blocked a planned two-year shutdown of the institution, calling the shutdown "ill-informed" and "seemingly preordained."
Workers stand on scaffolding near the signage for the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on June 12, 2026. / ALEX WROBLEWSKI / Alex Wroblewski, Getty Images
Recent Developments
Last week, the board — whose members include media figures Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Special Envoy Paolo Zampolli and singer Lee Greenwood — sought to sidestep the court ruling. The board proposed adding an inscription beneath the center's name reading "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump" and renaming the surrounding grounds the "President Donald J. Trump Plaza."
Rep. Beatty called the board's action "naked defiance" of the court's earlier decision and pledged to continue her legal challenge to protect the landmark.
"This latest development is a transparent effort to circumvent the Court's ruling, and flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed. I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument." —Rep. Joyce Beatty
The judge's demand for an explanation of the tarp intensifies an already contentious legal and political battle over the future and identity of the Kennedy Center.
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