Kennedy Center Removes Trump's Name After Federal Court Order

Court-Ordered Removal Completed

Workers began removing President Donald Trump's name from the facade of the Kennedy Center early Saturday, hours after a court-ordered Friday deadline to remove references to Trump from the building and other aspects of the iconic performing arts venue's operations. Construction workers began removing Trump's name from the building's facade early Saturday morning, six months after a board handpicked by the president voted to rebrand the iconic performing arts venue by adding his name to it.

Scaffolding was erected Friday around a section of the building that includes Trump's name, but shortly after midnight, the Kennedy Center asked a judge to extend the deadline until noon Eastern Time on Saturday because of thunderstorms that had swept through the Washington area, causing a delay. A Kennedy Center official told a federal judge Saturday that all references to President Donald Trump inside, outside and online have been removed from the Kennedy Center, in compliance with the court's extended order requiring their removal by noon.

Legal Background and Ruling

The removal of the more than a dozen bronze letters followed a judge's ruling that the Center could not be renamed without Congressional approval. The legal challenge was initiated by Congressional critics of the rebranding decision. The name change drew criticism from the Kennedy family and prompted a legal challenge led by Ohio Democrat Rep. Joyce Beatty. President Lyndon Johnson signed a bill in 1964 that designated the center as a living memorial to Kennedy following his assassination in 1963. The law prohibits the board of trustees from making the center into a memorial to anyone else or from putting another person's name on the building's exterior, the AP reported.

Public Reactions and Demonstrations

Dozens of people spent hours on Friday on the plaza in front of the Kennedy Center, occasionally cheering as they broke into chants of "take it down." Also among those gathered on the Center's plaza Friday was Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, who initiated the lawsuit to remove Trump's name from the building. She wrote on social media that she had stood outside to watch, writing "No more stalling. It's time for Trump to obey the law."

Compliance Measures

Beyond the exterior signage, a June 4 memo to staff from the Kennedy Center's Office of General Counsel said email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" or "Kennedy Center." The Kennedy Center's website has dropped Trump's name. The center's branding has been fully reverted to its original designation, erasing the controversial renaming that had sparked national debate.