Trump's name removed from Kennedy Center after court ruling

Workers removed the name of United States President Donald Trump from the Kennedy Center in Washington in the early hours of Saturday (13), less than six months after the change was implemented.
The measure complies with a court decision that determined that the traditional arts center cannot be renamed without authorization from the American Congress.
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The work began around 1:20 am local time (2:20 am in Brasília), a few hours after the Department of Justice reported that it would not be able to meet the deadline set by the Court, which ended at 11:59 pm on Friday.
The place was created more than 50 years ago in honor of former president John F. Kennedy, assassinated in 1963.
In December, the institution's board of directors - currently chaired by Trump - approved changing the name to "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts". The installation of the new identification began the day after approval.
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Removal occurred after failure to comply with a court deadline
After setting up scaffolding on Friday night, work teams covered the structure with tarpaulins during the early hours of the morning. At around 3:10 am, workers were seen removing the letters from the building in an operation that lasted about 30 minutes.
Hours earlier, the Department of Justice had informed the Court that it would miss the deadline for removal due to storms that could pose risks to the safety of workers. The government even requested a 12-hour extension.
Democratic congresswoman Joyce Beatty, from the state of Ohio, author of the action that led to the removal of Trump's name, classified the request as "unjustifiable" and stated that it is part of "a pattern of non-compliance", according to documents presented in the process.
The Kennedy Center was opened in 1971 as a memorial to President John F. Kennedy. Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has replaced members of the institution's board with political allies.
Just hours before the Justice Department's request, federal judge Christopher Cooper had rejected a government request to temporarily suspend the removal order.
Cooper stated that he would not overturn the decision while an appeals court analyzed his understanding that only Congress has the authority to change the institution's name. The government appealed to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which also denied the request for a stay on Friday.
The White House and the Kennedy Center have not commented on the case.
Facade of the Kennedy Center, with Donald Trump's name inserted at the beginning of the original sign 'John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts' on December 19, 2025.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Dispute about the name change
In a decision published on May 29, Cooper concluded that only Congress can authorize the cultural center's name change. The order required that the reference to Trump be removed from the building's facade, the official website and other institutional materials.
In asking for the order to be suspended, the Department of Justice argued that "it does not make sense to now change the name and signage of the center and possibly have to revert them again after an appeal that we believe to be successful."
In February, Trump announced the closure of the Kennedy Center for two years for extensive renovation. The initiative is part of the president's broader plan to remodel monuments and symbolic spaces in the American capital.
Among the announced projects are the construction of a 75-meter-high arch and a hall measuring around 8,400 square meters on the site of the East Wing of the White House, demolished by Trump in October.

Source: G1