The name of President Donald Trump is being removed from the Kennedy Center. This action comes after a federal judge determined that the renaming of the institution was unlawful and ordered that his name be taken down from the facade and all official materials.
Earlier on Friday, a judge turned down a last-minute plea from the Kennedy Center to extend the court-mandated deadline for removing Trump’s name.
As evening fell, a crowd gathered to watch and cheer as workers began setting up scaffolding to take down the lettering. This lettering had been added after Trump replaced the board of trustees with his allies the previous year.
At about 3 a.m. ET on Saturday, workers put up a curtain to block the view of the name removal process. However, a livestream of the event can still be viewed here.
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This removal marks the end of a legal battle initiated last December by Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty from Ohio, who, as an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board, filed a lawsuit to have Trump’s name removed from the historic institution.
In May, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper declared that only Congress has the authority to change the Kennedy Center’s name, which was originally designated in honor of the assassinated President John F. Kennedy, thus it should remain unchanged.
For the Trump administration, the removal of the “The Donald J. Trump and” signage represents a significant setback. Conversely, it is seen as a triumph by many arts advocates and members of the Kennedy family who opposed the rebranding. Additionally, the judge halted the proposed two-year closure of the Kennedy Center for renovations, which had been suggested by the Trump-appointed board. However, the board may revisit this decision through appropriate procedures, as the judge noted that the board cannot ignore its duties to offer programming and maintain the presidential memorial site.
