Kennedy Center Removes Trump's Name After Court Order

Workers removed US President Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center in a predawn operation on Saturday, complying with a court order that said the iconic performing arts venue could not be renamed without an act of Congress. The overnight effort came less than six months after Trump’s name was added to the Washington institution and followed a series of legal setbacks for the administration, which had sought to delay the removal after missing a court-imposed deadline. The episode marks the latest chapter in a broader battle over Trump’s efforts to reshape some of the United States’ most prominent public institutions and monuments since returning to office. News agencies Reuters and Associated Press reported that workers began removing the signage around 1:20 am local time, hours after the Department of Justice acknowledged it would miss a Friday midnight deadline imposed by the court. Scaffolding erected outside the Kennedy Center on Friday evening was later covered with tarpaulins as crews worked through the early hours of Saturday. Workers were seen taking down the letters around 3:10 am and packing up roughly 30 minutes later. The Kennedy Center had asked the court for a 12-hour extension, citing thunderstorms in the Washington area that it said posed safety risks to workers carrying out the operation. Hours before the removal began, US District Judge Christopher Cooper rejected the administration’s request to pause the order requiring Trump’s name to be taken down. The administration subsequently appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which also declined to halt the ruling. Cooper ruled on May 29 that only Congress has the authority to rename the Kennedy Center, which was established by lawmakers as a memorial to President John F Kennedy following his assassination in 1963. His order required Trump’s name to be removed not only from the building’s facade but also from its website and official materials. The Kennedy Center’s board, which Trump currently chairs, voted in December to rename the venue “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts”. Workers began installing the new signage the following day. The move came after Trump overhauled the institution’s leadership shortly after beginning his second term, replacing board members and appointing allies to key positions before being elected chairman by the reconstituted board. The renaming effort quickly became the subject of legal challenges. The removal drew crowds outside the venue on Friday night. According to AP, dozens of people gathered on the plaza in front of the Kennedy Center, taking photographs and occasionally breaking into chants of “Take it down.” Among those present was Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex officio board member who sued to challenge the renaming. Beatty criticised the administration’s request for additional time, describing it as part of a broader “pattern of non-compliance.” The Kennedy Center dispute has evolved into a test of the limits of presidential authority over federally chartered institutions. Trump has pursued an expansive vision for reshaping Washington’s symbolic landscape since returning to office. The administration has floated proposals ranging from large-scale renovations at the Kennedy Center to new architectural additions around the White House complex. Supporters have argued that such changes reflect a modernisation of national landmarks, while critics contend they bypass congressional authority and erode the historical purpose of public memorials. (With inputs from Reuters and AP)