Crews in Washington began removing references to President Donald Trump from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts following a federal court ruling. The changes, ordered by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, must be completed by June 12 amid an ongoing legal and administrative battle over the venue’s control.
Workers set up scaffolding outside the prominent Washington venue as the institution raced to meet a strict judicial deadline to remove President Donald Trump’s name from the building’s exterior.
Court Rulings Force Rapid Compliance and Internal Directive
The removal efforts follow a May 29 ruling by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who determined that the president’s name had been illegally added to the performing arts facility. In a Thursday memo to staff from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel, the institution’s lawyers 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 changes, the memo said, must be completed by June 12.
Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, said in a statement to The Associated Press that we are complying with the court’s order while evaluating all legal options to preserve this revitalization and recognize President Trump’s leadership.
Digital Scrubbing and On-Site Scaffolding Amid Weather Delays
The Center had already instructed its employees to begin removing the branding following a federal judge’s late May order. Trump’s name was removed from the Center’s website and YouTube channel. On TikTok and Instagram, the handle still reads “TKC” for Trump Kennedy Center,
but display names for those accounts have reverted to The Kennedy Center.
Storms around D.C. halted the work of construction crews, while a federal appeals court judge rejected a second request for an emergency stay by the Board of Trustees. Despite crews briefly halting work due to weather, a crowd at the Center has grown as people watch to see Trump’s name come down. Crews had returned to the site at around 7:40 p.m.
Revocation of Renovation Plans and Congressional Oversight
A federal judge ruled May 29 that Trump’s name had been illegally added to the venue, also blocking the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations that had been planned to start in July. Hours later, Trump said he was backing away from the revamp and making arrangements to relinquish control to Congress of what, until the Republican president’s second term, had been known as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The next day, Trump on social media branded Cooper as an anti Trump Hater
and predicted that the performing arts centre that he wanted to shutter for a two-year overhaul will soon be closed, probably never to open again.
Clearly angered by his latest legal setback, he said it was impossible for me to be treated fairly,
tying Cooper’s ruling to earlier losses, including the Supreme Court’s rejection in February of his sweeping tariffs.
Public Reaction and the Broader Landmark Remaking
The unfolding physical removal drew curious onlookers to the campus, highlighting deep public engagement with the institution’s fate. You see a diversity of people that are here that really care about the arts, and that's something really special to see, actually,
said Lauren Huggett, a D.C. resident among those waiting outside the Kennedy Center.
The removal marked a setback in the president’s second-term plans to remake many of Washington’s landmarks – and add new ones. On Thursday, his administration said renovations had been completed on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, painting the bottom what Trump has called American flag blue.
The White House East Wing was demolished to build a large ballroom.
