Trump's name stripped from Washington's Kennedy Center façade

A federal judge ordered the removal of former president Donald Trump's name from the façade of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that only Congress can alter the center's name, overturning a last‑minute legal attempt to delay the change.

Workers erected a scaffold on a rainy evening and, under the watch of several hundred onlookers, began taking down the letters one by one. The operation lasted into the early hours of Saturday, with a large tarp eventually covering the scaffold to hide the letters from the public. After the removal, the venue once again bears only the name of President John F. Kennedy.

The episode is described by observers as a symbolic defeat for Trump, whose supporters had emblazoned his name on the cultural landmark shortly after his inauguration. The Kennedy Center’s board, reconstituted in 2024 with Trump allies, was unable to retain the addition. The Washington Opera has also sued for $17 million in damages, alleging the Trump‑related alterations caused lasting harm to the institution.