Trump’s Name Removed from Kennedy Center Facade After Legal Battle

New images reveal that the Kennedy Center has removed President Donald Trump’s name from its facade. This follows a prolonged legal dispute and the recent addition of scaffolding and a tarp obscuring the area where the sign was taken down.

The scaffolding and tarp appeared on June 13, the day after a federal judge’s deadline for removing Trump’s name. This arrangement has blocked public viewing of the changes.

“What is clear to me is the Trump administration does not want to see that building without Trump’s name on the facade before they could go through all their appeals,” said Mallory Miller, a former Kennedy Center employee and co-founder of Hands Off the Arts.

The Kennedy Center, named the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts by Congress in 1964, received this designation after Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963. His successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, signed the bill into law in January 1964.

In December, signage at the center read: “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” This change occurred following a vote by Trump’s appointees on the board.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that Trump’s name be removed, stating, “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”

The ongoing presence of the tarp has led to speculation about its purpose, with suggestions it may primarily serve to conceal the removal of Trump’s name.

A Kennedy Center official informed the judge that on June 13 all references to Trump, both online and on the building, were erased.

Miller emphasized the power of collective action, stating, “Trump thought he could come in and take this crown jewel of arts and culture. We’re fighting back and telling him he can’t.”