Trump's name being removed from Kennedy Center after judge order

US President Donald Trump’s name has been taken down from the front of the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, after a judge ordered its removal.

The performance arts venue said in a court filing it had now fully complied with the ruling and that Trump’s name no longer appeared on its building, website or other materials.

The president’s name had been added to the venue unlawfully, a federal judge found last month, ordering its removal by Friday 12 June.

Crews erected scaffolding on Friday as onlookers gathered, though thunderstorms delayed the work until early on Saturday. A last‑minute attempt by the Trump administration to pause the order was rejected by the judge.

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The case stems from a broader legal dispute over the renaming of the cultural institution, which US law designates as a memorial to President John F Kennedy.

A group called Hands Off the Arts, which says it seeks to keep art free from government control, held a small rally outside the Kennedy Center on Friday.

Attendees cheered for the workers putting up scaffolding around the building’s signage, chanting “take it down!” as one of the group’s leaders spoke into a megaphone.

When another organiser announced that an appeals court denied the Trump administration’s second attempt to block the judge’s order, the crowd erupted in celebratory cheers.

In the early hours of Saturday, workers hung long plastic sheeting from the structure, obscuring the removal of the letters.

As of Saturday afternoon, the sheeting was still blocking the view of the Kennedy Center sign.

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US District Court Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in late May 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.

An appeals court declined to intervene immediately, allowing the removal to proceed pending further arguments.

The Trump administration had argued that changing the centre’s name could create confusion if the decision were later overturned.

The US president announced the addition of his name to the institution, among other rebranding measures across the nation’s capital, last year.

In February 2025, he replaced several trustees on the centre’s board and appointed himself as a trustee before being voted in as the arts centre’s chairman.