Trump’s Name Stripped from Kennedy Center in Stealthy Night Operation

In a dramatic predawn operation, workers removed President Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center on June 13, just six months after it was installed. The move came after a judge ruled that renaming the iconic Washington performing arts venue required an act of Congress—a decision the Trump administration failed to block.

The work began around 1:20 a.m., hours after the Department of Justice admitted it would miss a court-ordered deadline to remove Trump’s name by 11:59 p.m. on June 12. A construction crew had arrived at the venue earlier that afternoon, erecting scaffolding and preparing to dismantle the sign letter by letter. By early morning, the task was underway, drawing a crowd of hundreds who cheered and sang “God Bless America” as workers in hard hats and fluorescent vests climbed the scaffolding.

Onlookers dressed as if for a gala performance braved thunderstorms that threatened to delay the work. Passersby honked their car horns in approval. Carolina Clarence, a retired kindergarten teacher who came with her dog, Ruffino, called the installation of Trump’s name “ridiculous.” She said it damaged the institution’s reputation, leading to canceled shows and falling donations. “We’re going to see this coming down,” she said. “They’re going to destroy the Kennedy Center.”

The removal followed a tense legal battle. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama appointee, ruled on May 29 that adding Trump’s name to the center was illegal and ordered it removed from all official materials and signage within 14 days. The Trump administration appealed, but a trio of appellate judges denied a request for a stay on Friday evening. The Justice Department then filed an emergency petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals, which was also rejected, paving the way for the name’s removal.

Workers began taking down the letters around 3 a.m., according to the Washington Post. The crowd, festive and chatty despite intermittent thunder and lightning, chanted “take it down” as the operation unfolded. The sign that read “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts” was replaced with the original title: “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” which has graced the building since it opened in 1971.

The removal is a striking blow to Trump’s efforts to reshape the center. The Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, dominated by Trump loyalists, voted in December 2025 to rename the venue in his honor, arguing he helped secure federal funding for renovations. Trump’s name was added to the building’s exterior sign within 24 hours. But Cooper ruled that the board violated the 1964 federal law establishing the center to honor President John F. Kennedy, stating that the statute “makes clear the Kennedy Center must be named for, and is meant to honor, President Kennedy alone.”

The case was brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex officio board member who sued to stop the rebranding and a planned two-year closure for renovations. Cooper also overturned Trump’s plans to shut the center from July for massive renovations, questioning the credibility of the center’s executive director, Matt Floca, who argued the work couldn’t be done without closing. The judge noted that Trump had already announced the closure on Truth Social on Feb. 1, before the board voted on it March 16.

Earlier this week, the Kennedy Center’s attorneys advised staff to comply with the judge’s order. Trump’s name was quickly removed from the center’s website and employee email signatures. But the most visible symbol—the large all-caps sign on the marble facade—remained until the predawn operation. Now, the center is back to its original name, a reminder of its enduring mission to honor a fallen president.