Workers in Washington DC pulled President Donald Trump's name off the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, after a federal judge ruled the renaming was illegal.
By noon, the sign on the building's exterior was covered with a white tarp, and loud noise echoed from beneath as workers dismantled Trump's name. Morning joggers stopped to watch. The center's Executive Director Matt Floca said all physical signage with Trump's name on the building and grounds had been removed.
The removal followed a ruling by US District Judge Christopher Cooper on May 29, who said only Congress has the right to rename the iconic venue. He gave the administration 14 days to take down Trump's name from the marble facade and all related materials. The center had already dropped Trump's name from its website earlier this week.
The center's board tried a last-minute appeal to stop the removal, but Cooper rejected it on Friday. The board then asked for a 12-hour extension, but Cooper turned that down too, saying the public interest "is rarely served by the 'perpetuation' of 'unlawful' governmental action."
Work was delayed by thunderstorms that made it unsafe for workers, Floca said, but was expected to finish early Saturday morning. An eager crowd gathered outside the arts center Friday night, cheering as workers set up scaffolding. Thousands also watched via livestream, waiting for the moment Trump's name would come off the wall.
"The public interest is rarely served by the 'perpetuation' of 'unlawful' governmental action." — Judge Christopher Cooper
Trump seized control of the Kennedy Center at the start of his second term last year, naming himself chairman and stacking the board with loyalists. The board voted in December to rename the venue the "Trump Kennedy Center," and Trump's full name was added to the facade in large capital letters above Kennedy's. Several artists canceled scheduled performances in protest.
Cooper also temporarily blocked Trump's demand to close the center for two years of renovations, which was supposed to start in July. A furious Trump responded by saying he was giving up control of the venue.
The removal is a setback for Trump's broader push since returning to the White House to put his name and image in official spaces — a break with American political tradition. The now-defunct US Institute of Peace was renamed after Trump, and his face stares down from huge banners outside the Department of Justice and Department of Agriculture. The Trump administration is also seeking to put his image on a $250 bill to celebrate the country's 250th anniversary.
The Kennedy Center's name is now back to its original: the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The judge's ruling means Trump can't use the venue for his own branding. The center's board, still stacked with Trump loyalists, could try to rename the building again, but only Congress can legally do that — and lawmakers have shown no appetite for it. The canceled performances by artists who boycotted the Trump-named venue may now be rescheduled, though no announcements have been made.