Workers removed former President Donald Trump's name from the Kennedy Center's facade in the early hours of Saturday, following a federal judge's order and after the venue missed a Friday deadline to complete the task.
The removal came after US District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that Trump's name must be taken down from the performing arts center in Washington DC. The work began shortly after 11:59pm Friday, when the deadline passed. An appeals court in Washington DC had rejected an emergency appeal filed by Justice Department lawyers on Friday seeking to pause the removal.
Judge Cooper's 94-page opinion stated that the Kennedy Center's founding statute makes clear the venue is named for President John F. Kennedy and cannot bear another formal name without congressional action. "Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it," Cooper wrote. The ruling also temporarily blocked the venue from closing for renovations, stopping a two-year "revitalization project" that Trump's handpicked board had approved.
The facade previously read "The Donald J Trump and The John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts." Trump's name has now been fully removed from the building's exterior.
Before the physical removal, the Kennedy Center had already taken steps to comply with the court's broader order. The center's general counsel sent a memo to employees directing them to change email signatures, letterheads, and other documents to reflect the name "The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" or simply "Kennedy Center." Additional changes to templates, forms, signage, brochures, and website pages were required by June 12.
The removal of Trump's name from the website came days before that deadline, according to reports from the Washington Post.
Trump responded to the judge's decision with a lengthy statement on social media last month, saying he had no interest in what he called a "hopeless journey into NEVER NEVER LAND." The Justice Department's subsequent emergency appeal attempted to stay Cooper's removal order but was unsuccessful.
The Kennedy Center, which opened to the public in 1971, serves as the national performing arts center and the nation's cultural hub in Washington. Congress established it in 1958 as the National Cultural Center and renamed it to honor President Kennedy following his assassination in 1963. The venue hosts theatrical performances, concerts, and cultural events throughout the year while receiving federal funding alongside private donations and ticket sales.