Why workers removed Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center overnight

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.

Donald Trump’s name has been removed from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.

The move follows a court ruling that found Trump’s name had been added to the building illegally. Judges also rejected an emergency appeal seeking to block its removal.… pic.twitter.com/E88eTiJ8hk

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) June 13, 2026

Predawn removal after missed deadline

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 set up scaffolding at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as a federal judge in Washington, D.C., declined President Trump’s request to temporarily pause an order to remove his name from the venue https://t.co/Nd3DKg1vgQ pic.twitter.com/zLkuPbRCd6

— Reuters (@Reuters) June 12, 2026

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.

Workers wait for the rain to stop before resuming work to remove President Donald Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Friday. (AP Photo)

Court rejects administration’s appeals

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.

A federal judge on Friday denied the Department of Justice’s request to lift an order requiring the removal of President Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center.

The Trump administration still faces a deadline of Friday to remove Trump’s name from the building.

ABC News’ Jonathan… pic.twitter.com/MMYldtFzWm

— ABC News (@ABC) June 12, 2026

The administration subsequently appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which also declined to halt the ruling.

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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.

How Trump’s name ended up there

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.

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The renaming effort quickly became the subject of legal challenges.

Cheers outside the Kennedy Center

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.”

A protester hoists his sign outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Friday. (AP Photo)

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.”

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Fight over monuments and institutions

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)