Crews removed Donald Trump's name from the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., following a court-ordered deadline, as legal battles and weather delays marked the process.
Workers began removing Donald Trump's name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. , late on Friday, hours after a court-ordered deadline to erase references to the former president from the venue.
The removal came after a day of legal battles and weather delays that pushed the work into the early hours of Saturday morning. Scaffolding was erected around a section of the building bearing Trump's name, and workers covered it with tarpaulins before starting to take down the letters. By 3:30 a.m., they had packed up and left, but the tarpaulins remained, making it unclear whether all letters had been removed.
The scene drew dozens of onlookers who cheered and chanted 'take it down' throughout the evening. The legal saga began when a federal judge ordered the Kennedy Center to remove Trump's name by a Friday deadline, ruling that only Congress could authorize changes to the venue's official name.
The center had added Trump's name after he became chairman of its board of trustees earlier this year, part of his broader influence over the institution during his return to the White House. In response to the ruling, the Kennedy Center asked the judge for an extension until noon Saturday, citing thunderstorms that swept through the Washington area and caused delays.
The court rejected a request to pause the deadline, and an appeal by the center was also denied on Friday evening. The center then filed a notice assuring that removal work was ongoing and would conclude early Saturday. The dispute is part of Trump's aggressive reshaping of the Kennedy Center after ignoring it during his first term. He ousted previous leadership and installed a board that named him chairman.
The center's website and documents have already dropped Trump's name, and a memo to staff on June 4 mandated that all communications refer to the venue as 'The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' or 'Kennedy Center.
' Meanwhile, the center also faces a separate challenge: a judge blocked plans for major renovations scheduled to start in July, citing the need for congressional approval. The center argued in its appeal that the renovations are critical to address structural damage, including rusted beams and garage ceilings posing safety risks. Ohio Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio board member who sued to remove Trump's name, was spotted on the plaza during the removal
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