President Donald Trump suffered another humiliating loss in court.
The 80-year-old egomaniac had hoped to keep his name on a cultural landmark in Washington, DC, but a federal appeals court has once again blocked that effort.
Back in 2025, the president had the signage outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts changed to include “Donald J. Trump.”
Ticket sales plummeted, and numerous performers canceled their scheduled dates in protest of Trump’s hostile takeover of the Kennedy Center.
Lawsuits were also filed to have his name removed from the site that serves as a memorial to John F. Kennedy, the 35th president, who was killed in office in 1963.
In May, U.S. District Judge Christopher R. “Casey” Cooper ruled the rebranding was illegal without congressional authorization.
He also blocked Trump’s planned two-year closure of the Kennedy Center for renovations.
A work crew eventually finished chiseling Trump’s name off the facade of the Kennedy Center on June 13.
The event occurred hours after officials missed the court-ordered midnight deadline, despite an extension due to thunderstorms.
Scaffolding and tarps now surround the Kennedy Center, adding to the ongoing drama. Accusations that Trump was being spiteful on purpose began circulating.
Then, on July 8, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit again rejected Trump’s request to stop the removal of his name from the Kennedy Center in the latest defeat for the POTUS.
The three-judge panel denied a motion for a stay pending appeal. They argued that Trump’s legal team failed to show that removing his name would cause him irreparable harm.
JUST IN: Workers have begun removing Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center.
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) June 12, 2026
Earlier today, a judge denied the Kennedy Center board’s request to pause a ruling that requires Trump’s name to be removed from the building. pic.twitter.com/5DeGRy7nxg
Trump also failed to persuade the federal appeals court that the Center would suffer “financial harm” unless the board reinstated his name.
Even the argument that the newly founded Trump Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Foundation would have difficulty fundraising did not move the judges to side with the president.
“Keep Trump off [the] Kennedy Center! He makes everything cheap and gaudy!” exclaimed one critic of the commander-in-chief on X. A second declared, “He has done nothing to deserve such an honor. Pathetic.”
“Why is he hanging on to the Kennedy Center like a dog with a bone?? Cannot his adoring admirers build him his own center with all the [money] they are pouring into this embarrassing LOSING battle?” asked one person.
An amused commenter posted, “Keep losing, Trump.” Similarly, a Trump detractor slammed the ex-host of “The Apprentice” reality show by stating, “Geez, this guy is such an embarrassing loser.”
“His name and take over literally ruined it,” complained one X user. Another demanded, “Take down the tarps.”
The attempted Kennedy Center renaming was part of a massive endeavor by Trump to leave a lasting impression on the nation’s capital by giving some of the city’s famous landmarks a makeover in his image.
A $14 million restoration of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ended with green algae overrunning the water. Fences also blocked public access to the National Mall, a popular attraction.
Trump also demolished the White House’s East Wing to build a ballroom. The project is expected to cost between $400 million and $600 million. He also filled the Oval Office with gold-colored trinkets and ornate wall trim.
More unspecified remodeling appears to be underway on the exterior of the White House. Footage of printed tarps covering the Executive Mansion began circulating online in early July.
There has been speculation that Trump wants to upgrade the Ionic columns outside the White House to the Capitol-style Corinthian design. He also proposed erecting a 250-foot “Arc de Trump” near the Arlington Memorial Bridge.
