Workers remove Donald Trump's name from Kennedy Center facade overnight after judge's order

Court order and the May 29 deadline

On May 29, a federal judge ordered the Kennedy Center board to eliminate all mentions of Donald Trump from the building, website, and trademarks within two weeks. The ruling stated that no reference should remain to "President Trump or anyone other than President Kennedy." The performing arts venue removed Trump's name from its website on Monday, but the physical letters on its Washington facade stayed up as the June 12 deadline approached.

… any reference to President Trump or anyone other than President Kennedy.

Storms, scaffolds and a rejected extension

Workers erected scaffolding around the Trump portion of the building on Friday afternoon, hours before the cutoff. Severe thunderstorms then swept through the Washington area, and the Kennedy Center asked a judge to push the deadline to Saturday noon. In its filing, the center said "removal work is underway" and would be "completed in the early morning hours." The judge refused the extension on Friday, and a late-night emergency appeal was also turned down, leaving the original deadline in effect.

removal work is underway

Letters peeled under tarps as crowd watches

After midnight Saturday, crews began removing the name letter by letter. Tarpaulins shrouded the scaffolding, blocking a clear view of the work. Reports indicated the job was finished around 3:30 a.m. local time, though the tarps remained in place, making it difficult to confirm whether every character had been stripped. Throughout Friday, dozens of onlookers gathered in the plaza, snapping photos and occasionally shouting "take this down!" Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, was seen among the crowd.

Trump's battle for branding and the political fallout

Donald Trump responded to the court order by declaring he would "work with Congress to transfer control" of the Kennedy Center. He had already installed loyalists on the board and, in December, tacked his own name onto the institution's title, calling it the "Trump Kennedy Center." The move drew sharp condemnation from President John F. Kennedy's family and Democratic opponents. The Kennedy family denounced the change as a violation of the late president's legacy and supported the legal challenge. Trump, who largely ignored the venue during his first term, had seized administrative control in order to attach his brand to the prestigious arts center. The same judge separately suspended a planned two‑year shutdown of the center, ruling that the board had not met its "duty of prudence" by failing to weigh the negative consequences, though he allowed urgently needed repairs to continue.

work with Congress to transfer control