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

Workers have begun removing US President Donald Trump’s name from the front of the Kennedy Center in Washington, a day after the court deadline for its removal.

The president’s name had been added to the performing arts venue unlawfully, a federal judge found last month, ordering it to be taken down by Friday 12 June.

Crews erected scaffolding on Friday as onlookers gathered into the evening, 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.

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.

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

Some onlookers chanted “take it down”, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS.

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.