Workers have removed President Donald Trump’s name from the façade of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, marking the culmination of a legal and political dispute over the renaming of one of the United States’ most prominent cultural institutions.
In a court filing on Saturday, Kennedy Center Executive Director Matt Floca confirmed that “all physical signage on the Kennedy Center building and grounds” bearing Trump’s name had been taken down, restoring the venue’s original identity.
The removal followed a ruling by US District Judge Christopher Cooper, who ordered last month that Trump’s name be stripped from the building, arguing that the performing arts centre had been improperly renamed and that only Congress has the authority to change its designation. The judge set a deadline for compliance, which was extended by several hours after the Kennedy Center cited safety concerns caused by thunderstorms that disrupted overnight work.
By Saturday afternoon, sections of the building’s façade remained covered with tarpaulin as construction crews completed the final stages of the signage removal. Crowds gathered outside the riverfront venue on Friday night and Saturday morning, with some observers cheering as scaffolding was erected and work began.
The dispute dates back to Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025, during which he assumed the chairmanship of the Kennedy Center board and oversaw the appointment of allies to its governing structure. The board later voted in December to rename the institution “The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” and Trump’s name was added in large lettering above that of the late president.
The move sparked criticism within the arts community and led to cancellations of some scheduled performances, while public debate intensified over the politicisation of the institution. The Kennedy Center also removed references to Trump from its official website earlier this week.
In addition to the signage dispute, the court has temporarily blocked Trump’s separate proposal to close the Kennedy Center for a multi-year renovation programme scheduled to begin in July.
Reactions from onlookers in Washington were mixed, with some describing the removal as a symbolic correction. Others said it underscored broader concerns about the preservation of institutional traditions.
The legal ruling brings an end, for now, to a controversy that has highlighted tensions between political authority and the governance of federally significant cultural institutions.
