NPR
Trump's name is poised to be removed from the Kennedy Center
+714 words added -613 words removed
− By
The Associated Press
A worker removes a letter from President Donald Trump's name from the wall of the John F.
+ By
Fatima Al-Kassab
,
Frank Langfitt
A tarp covers the facade of the John F.
− Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Saturday, June 13, 2026.
+ Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on June 13, 2026.
− Cliff Owen/AP hide caption
WASHINGTON — 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.
+ Workers removed President Donald Trump's name from the facade of the building. Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
WASHINGTON - Workers have taken down President Donald Trump's name from the Kennedy Center, hours after a court-ordered Friday deadline to remove it from the building, and less than six months after it was first affixed to the iconic performing arts venue. 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.
− National The many ways Trump wants to change D.C., from buildings to statues to parks 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.
In the filing, the Kennedy Center offered assurance that the "removal work is presently ongoing" and would "conclude in the early hours of the morning."
A few hours later, workers began covering the scaffolding with tarps before they eventually started taking down Trump's name.
+ National The many ways Trump wants to change D.C., from buildings to statues to parks In a court filing, Kennedy Center Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Charles Matthew Floca confirmed that President Trump's name has been removed from the building façade, despite what Floca said were weather-related delays.
− They packed up and left the site around 3:30 a.m., though the tarps remained, leaving it impossible to determine if all the letters had been removed.
+ References to Trump on the center's website are also gone.
− National Former Kennedy Center curator talks about the venue's future Dozens of people spent hours Friday on the plaza in front of the Kennedy Center taking pictures and cheering occasionally as they broke into chants of "take it down." Rep.
+ Just a month into his second term, Trump ousted the Kennedy Center's president, board chair and board members, then replaced them with a group of trustees that soon named Trump as chairman.
− Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex-officio board member who sued to have Trump's name removed from the building, was spotted at one point on the plaza.
+ Soon after, the president's name was added to the building, so that it became, "The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."
The administration had on Friday asked a higher court to stay the ruling as it argued that Trump's name on the building had helped attract donors and was crucial to raising funds for the Kennedy Center's renovation.
− Earlier Friday afternoon, a judge rejected a request to pause the court-ordered deadline.
+ "Without the name, "Trump" on the Building, our fundraising will not only come to a halt," the administration wrote in a court filing, "but any and all monies raised or committed would be obligated to be returned, refunded or terminated."
National Former Kennedy Center curator talks about the venue's future An appeals court denied that request Friday night.
− The institution appealed that ruling, an effort that was also rebuffed Friday evening.
+ Workers erected scaffolding on Friday around the section of the building where Trump's name had been added in December 2025. Then, in a pre-dawn operation, the laborers draped the scaffolding in tarpaulin, before removing the giant metallic letters. The Kennedy Center had asked a judge to briefly extend the deadline for this removal —because of Friday night thunderstorms forecast for Washington D.C.
− After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office.
+ Finally, with the scaffolding up, and tarpaulin covering their efforts, workers began to remove Trump's name.
− Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center's previous leadership and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman.
+ Hundreds of people braved the rain and thunderstorms overnight to document the take-down.
− Trump's name was quickly added to the building.
+ Some heckled those involved for hiding the removal using tarpaulin – with shouts of "Cover up!" and "Cowards!"
Among the onlookers watching proceedings was Krystal Brewer, 40, who works for a social justice advocacy group. She said removing Trump's name was a way to enforce accountability, maintain government checks and balances, and reclaim a piece of Washington from a president who she said has tried to impose his stamp on the nation's capital. "It's about just not being able to do something just because you think you're the most powerful person and you can defy the courts," Brewer said.
− Cliff Owen/AP hide caption
In his ruling that only Congress could make changes to the Kennedy Center's name, U.S.
+ Cliff Owen/AP hide caption
Trump has recently overseen the controversial demolition of the White House's East Wing in favor of a giant ballroom, and ordered large banners of his face to hang from several federal buildings during his second term.
− District Judge Christopher Cooper also blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations that had been planned to start in July and last for two years.
The Kennedy Center's leadership argued in its appeal Friday that the renovation was badly needed and accused the lower court, in terms that seemed similar to Trump's speech patterns, of interfering in the effort.
"The District Court is not allowing us to close in order to properly fix up and repair the Building, including potentially life threatening structural damage like beams and parking garage ceilings that are rusted, and in serious danger of falling onto people below," according to the appeal.
+ "I wanted to see us get a part of our city back," said Brewer.
− "Indeed, total collapse!"
Performing Arts Trump's name must come off of the Kennedy Center, judge rules Even as the Kennedy Center has fought efforts to remove Trump's name from the building, it has taken steps to comply with Cooper's initial ruling.
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.
+ "With all the things that he's trying to destroy and corrupt and taint and alter, it's nice to see a piece of it being restored."
Also among those gathered on the Center's plaza Friday was Rep.
− Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" or "Kennedy Center."
The Kennedy Center's website has dropped Trump's name.
+ Joyce Beatty of Ohio, who initiated the lawsuit to remove Trump's name from the building.
− And an earlier email sent to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony came from the Kennedy Center without including Trump's name.
+ 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."
Performing Arts Trump's name must come off of the Kennedy Center, judge rules Watching the tarps go up a little before 2 a.m., Saturday, another onlooker, 60-year-old nurse Mary Foltz, said it was a metaphor for the Trump administration.
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+ "I think there's a lack of transparency — and that's just the epitome of it," Foltz said. "This is a meme."
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