Judge Christopher Cooper ruled on May 29 that only Congress can rename the Kennedy Center, ordering Trump's name removed from the building and website within two weeks.
The Trump-appointed board asked the court to postpone the removal, but the judge rejected the motion on Friday, June 12.
Early Saturday, June 13, scaffolding went up and crews started dismantling the gold letters; a tarp was left, obscuring whether the job is complete.
In a related ruling, the judge temporarily stopped the board's plan to close the hall for two years, while allowing urgent repairs to proceed.
The president said he will work with Congress to take control of the Kennedy Center, and the board appealed the court's orders.
On May 29, federal judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the December 2025 name change of the Kennedy Center, which added "Donald J. Trump" to the official title and placed gold letters on the building, was illegal. The judge stated that only the U.S. Congress has the authority to rename the institution. He ordered all references to President Trump and anyone other than President Kennedy removed from the building and website within two weeks.
“The need appears urgent.”
The Trump-appointed board of the Kennedy Center filed a motion on Thursday, June 11, to postpone the court order. Judge Cooper rejected that request on Friday, June 12. The Kennedy Center had already removed Trump's name from its website earlier that week but had not yet touched the physical letters. A Reuters report cited by Polish outlets noted that the administration attributed the delay to poor weather conditions threatening worker safety, and completion was expected Saturday.
When the board changed the name in December 2025, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the move, calling it an honor for the president's efforts.
“The center was named after Trump for the incredible work the president has done in the last year to save this building.”
Around 3:30 a.m. local time on Saturday, June 13, workers erected scaffolding over the section of the facade bearing the gold-lettered name and began dismantling it. By the time crews left, they had covered the area with a tarp, leaving it unclear whether all the letters had been removed, the Associated Press reported.
In a separate but linked decision, Judge Cooper granted a request by Democratic congresswoman and board member Joyce Beatty to temporarily block the board's plan to close the performance hall for two years for renovations. The judge permitted ongoing urgent repair work.
President Trump responded to the ruling by stating he will work with Congress to gain control of the Kennedy Center. The board also filed an appeal on Thursday of the removal order and the decision blocking the two-year closure.
“I will work with Congress to transfer control of the Kennedy Center to me.”
Pollar is free and carries no ads in the text. Its members keep it going.
Support PollarGovernment · Washington, D.C.
Early Saturday, workers in Washington, D.C. began taking down the gold letters spelling out President Donald Trump's name from the Kennedy Center facade, hours after a federal judge refused to postpone the court-ordered removal.
AI text based on reports by polsatnews.pl, Super Express, rmf24.pl and other publishers. Published .