On 12/6, Matt Floca, executive director of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, informed the court that the facility had "removed all physical signage on the building and its grounds" bearing President Donald Trump's name. This action followed a federal appeals court's decision.

Workers began the removal on 11/6, erecting scaffolding and covering the sign with a tarp. The tarp remained on the facade at noon on 12/6, after the President's name was gone.

Workers erected scaffolding to remove Trump's name from the facade of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. *Photo: AFP*

The federal appeals court, on 11/6, rejected a last-minute attempt by the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees to halt trial judge Christopher Cooper's ruling. The court mandated that the center complete the removal of Trump's name from the building by noon on 13/6.

Judge Cooper's ruling on 29/5 stated that the Board of Trustees had exceeded its legal authority by unilaterally renaming the Kennedy Center the Trump - Kennedy Center. His decision emphasized that only the U.S. Congress possesses the authority to rename the facility. The ruling gave President Trump's administration 14 days to remove the President's name from the building's facade and all related documents.

Additionally, Judge Cooper issued a temporary injunction against the President's request to close the Kennedy Center for two years for renovations. This plan was scheduled to begin in 7.

The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on 29/5. *Photo: AP*

In 12/2025, the White House announced that the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees had unanimously voted to rename the venue the Trump - Kennedy Center. This was to recognize President Trump's "extraordinary efforts" in "saving the building, not just in design, but also financially and in terms of its reputation." Trump's name was then placed on the building's facade, above "Kennedy".

In 2, President Trump had announced that the facility would close for two years starting 4/7 for renovations aimed at transforming it "into the best performing arts venue."

The arts facility was originally known as the National Cultural Center, initiated in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and fully funded during Kennedy's term. Two months after Kennedy's assassination in 11/1963, President Lyndon Johnson renamed the facility the John F. Kennedy Center.

Trump has not yet commented on the center's action.

*Huyen Le (AFP, CNN)*