Trump’s Name Off Kennedy Center, But Tarps Block Public’s View

WASHINGTON, DC 

Workers removed President Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center around 3 a.m. Saturday morning (June 13), complying with a court-ordered deadline that required the iconic performing arts venue to restore its original name.

But on Wednesday morning (June 17)  the building’s surface remained covered with massive tarps so no-one to that date had actually seen the lettering gone. News photographs taken after the lettering was removed show the work area concealed by blue or white tarps, while reports describe the name-removal operation as complete.

The removal came less than six months after Trump’s name was added to the building and followed a federal judge’s ruling that the center could not be renamed without approval from Congress.

In a court filing, Kennedy Center Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Charles Matthew Floca confirmed that the signage had been removed. Floca noted that weather concerns, including thunderstorms forecast for the Washington area, complicated the process. References to Trump were also removed from the center’s website.

The controversy began shortly after Trump returned to office for his second term. He replaced the Kennedy Center’s president, board chair, and several board members with new trustees, who subsequently elected him chairman. The center was then renamed “The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” a move that quickly sparked legal challenges.

The administration argued that keeping Trump’s name on the building was essential to fundraising efforts tied to a planned renovation project. In court filings, attorneys contended that donors had responded positively to the change and warned that removing the name could jeopardize pledged contributions.

An appeals court rejected the administration’s request to delay the ruling Friday night.

Workers erected scaffolding around the building’s facade before dawn and covered the area with tarpaulin while crews removed the large bronze letters. Despite rainy conditions, hundreds of onlookers gathered outside the Kennedy Center to witness the removal.

Some in the crowd criticized efforts to shield the work from public view, shouting comments such as “Cover up!” and “Cowards!” as crews worked behind the temporary barriers.

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Among those watching was Rep. Joyce Beatty, Ohio’s 3rd congressional district since 2013, who helped lead the legal effort challenging the name change. In a social media post, Beatty celebrated the outcome, writing, “No more stalling. It’s time for Trump to obey the law.”

The Kennedy Center is expected to resume operating under its longstanding name honoring President John F. Kennedy.