Donald Trump's name removed from Kennedy Center facade after court ruling

The name of former U.S. President Donald Trump has been completely removed from the facade of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., fulfilling a judicial decision. The executive director of the institution, Matt Floca, confirmed the work was completed on Saturday.

The removal followed a federal judge's dismissal of a last-minute request from the Kennedy Center's board, which is reportedly controlled by Trump and his allies. This board had sought to block the withdrawal of the Republican's name. Floca stated that the institution had "adjusted" to the court's ruling and had "removed all physical signage at the Kennedy Center."

Scaffolding had been erected around the building, with a white tarp covering a large section of the structure on Saturday. The Kennedy Center had already removed Trump's name from its website earlier in the week. Crowds gathered outside the building on Friday night, with some celebrating the installation of the scaffolding, while thousands followed a live internet stream of the events.

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the institution had "adjusted" to the court's decision and had "removed all physical signage at the Kennedy Center."

The name change, which occurred after Trump placed allies on the institution's board, had renamed the center the 'Trump Kennedy Center.' However, Judge Christopher Cooper ordered on May 29 that all references to "President Trump or any person other than President Kennedy" be removed within two weeks from the building, website, and related materials. Cooper emphasized that only Congress has the authority to change the center's official designation.

The board and the Justice Department had requested Cooper to suspend his ruling, but the judge dismissed the petition on Friday. The name change had been criticized by the Kennedy family and Democratic opposition, who questioned its legality. Trump's efforts to place his name and image on official spaces had broken with American political tradition.

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removed, within two weeks, all signage referring to President Trump or any person other than President Kennedy