Workers removed Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center in Washington DC in the early hours of Saturday, after a court order requiring the Trump name removed from Kennedy Center signage took effect and a last-minute appeal by the administration was rejected.
Trump Name Removed from Kennedy Center by Court Order
Crews erected scaffolding on Friday as onlookers gathered, though thunderstorms delayed the work until Saturday morning. Workers then hung long plastic sheeting from the structure, obscuring the removal of the letters. Some onlookers chanted ‘take it down’, according to CBS.
According to USA Today, US District Court Judge Christopher Cooper ruled on 29 May that adding Trump’s name to the centre was unlawful, and ordered it stripped from official materials and removed from signage within 14 days, setting a deadline of 12 June. The removal proceeded after that deadline passed.
Judge Cooper had ruled that the venue in central Washington DC cannot be renamed without congressional approval. He also blocked the centre’s temporary closure during upcoming proposed renovations. US law designates the Kennedy Center as a memorial to President John F Kennedy.
An appeals court declined to intervene immediately, allowing the removal to proceed pending further arguments. The Trump administration’s last-minute attempt to pause the order was rejected by Judge Cooper.
Administration Argued Trump’s Name Drew Donors and Renovation Funds
According to NPR, the administration on Friday asked a higher court to stay the ruling, arguing that Trump’s name on the building had helped attract donors and was crucial to raising funds for the Kennedy Center’s renovation. That appeal was unsuccessful.
NPR also reported that Trump’s name was added to the Kennedy Center in December 2025, months after the president announced a series of rebranding measures across the nation’s capital. The case stems from a broader legal dispute over whether the executive branch has authority to rename a cultural institution that Congress established as a memorial.
In February 2025, Trump replaced several trustees on the centre’s board and appointed himself as a trustee before being voted in as the arts centre’s chairman. The administration had argued that changing the centre’s name could create confusion if the court’s decision were later overturned on appeal.
Spectrum Local News reported that a declaration was made in a court filing to the federal judge who had ordered the removal, as legal arguments continued around the renaming dispute.
The appeals court has not yet issued a final ruling on the administration’s broader challenge. Further arguments are expected as the dispute over the centre’s name continues through the courts.
