Workers have removed the bronze letters spelling “Donald J Trump” from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, acting under a federal court order that gave the administration until midnight on June 12 to strip the president’s name from the venue.
A blue-and-white tarp remains draped over scaffolding erected for the work, concealing the removal from public view. The only visual evidence of the demolition, according to the Guardian, is a photograph taken by the Associated Press through a gap at the side of the scaffolding. It is unclear when the tarp will be removed.
The removal follows a months-long legal battle that began after Trump took control of the Kennedy Center’s board in December. Accusing the arts venue’s administration of mismanagement — which they denied — the president sacked the center’s chief and members of its board of directors and replaced them with allies, who immediately installed him as chair. The center was temporarily renamed “The Donald J Trump and the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.”
Along with the leadership shakeup came layoffs of staff, the flight of artists, an overhaul in programming, and a drop in ticket sales. In February, the board announced the closure of the institution for two years of renovations, beginning July 5, 2026.
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio board member, sued the Trump administration, arguing that only Congress has the legal power to rename the institution. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper agreed, ruling that Trump’s name be taken off the center’s signage, website, and even officials’ signatures. The judge also blocked the administration from closing the venue for repairs, noting that renovations were already in the works and were to be completed while the venue remained open.
Trump’s lawyers filed a last-ditch appeal to pause the removal deadline, during which scaffolding was slowly erected. When the appeal failed, the Department of Justice filed a certification that the court order would be obeyed. A crew then draped the scaffold with the tarp and began the demolition.
MSI previously reported that the Kennedy Center board voted to seek a stay of the order to remove Trump’s name on June 12, and that the center had directed staff to remove the name by the court’s deadline. The center had already removed Trump’s name from its website after the judge’s order earlier in June.