Workers set up scaffolding and hang flame-retardant tarps near the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Performing Arts Center sign in Washington, D.C., early on June 13, 2026. On June 12, a U.S. federal judge rejected a bid by the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees and the Department of Justice to block the removal of President Donald Trump’s name from performing arts venues.
Alex Roblewski AFP | Getty Images
Workers began removing President Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center facade early Saturday, hours after a court-ordered Friday deadline to remove references to Trump from the building and other aspects of the iconic performing arts venue’s operations.
Scaffolding was erected around the part of the building bearing President Trump’s name on Friday, but thunderstorms that hit the Washington area shortly after midnight caused delays, prompting the Kennedy Center to ask a judge to extend the deadline until noon ET on Saturday.
In its application, the Kennedy Center assured that “removal efforts are currently underway” and “will be completed early in the morning.”
Hours later, workers began covering the scaffolding with tarps and eventually began removing Trump’s name. They packed up and left the scene around 3:30 a.m., but the tarpaulin remained and it was impossible to confirm whether all the letters had been removed.
Dozens of people spent hours in the plaza in front of the Kennedy Center on Friday, taking photos and chanting “Get rid of it” with occasional cheers. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), a former executive who filed a lawsuit seeking to remove Trump’s name from the building, was seen in the plaza at one point.
Early Friday afternoon, a judge denied a request to suspend the court-ordered deadline. The agency appealed the ruling, but that appeal was also dismissed Friday night.
Trump ignored the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, but once he returned to office he wielded tremendous influence over the venue. Just a month into his second term, he fired the center’s previous leadership, installed a board of directors, and named him president. Trump’s name was quickly added to the building.
In ruling that only Congress can rename the Kennedy Center, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper also blocked the government from closing the cultural arts venue for a major renovation that was scheduled to begin in July and last two years.
Kennedy Center leaders argued in an appeals court Friday that the renovations are desperately needed and accused lower courts of interfering with the effort with language that seemed similar to President Trump’s speech pattern.
“The district court has not authorized the building to be closed for adequate repairs and repairs, including potentially life-threatening structural damage, including rusted beams and the parking garage ceiling, posing a serious fall hazard to those below,” the appeal states. “A complete collapse!”
The Kennedy Center, which has fought efforts to remove Trump’s name from its building, has taken steps to comply with Cooper’s original ruling.
A June 4 memo from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel to staff says email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name “John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or “Kennedy Center.”
The Kennedy Center website has removed Trump’s name. Additionally, an earlier email to members offering ticket packages to the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony was from the Kennedy Center and did not include Trump’s name.
