Workers began removing President Trump's name from the exterior of the Kennedy Center early Saturday morning, several hours after a court-ordered deadline had passed.
The Justice Department, representing the historic performing arts venue, requested a 12-hour extension from a district court late Friday evening, citing safety concerns due to inclement weather. The original deadline was 11:59 p.m. Friday. Officials said the work would conclude in the early hours of Saturday.
Around 2 a.m., crews erected scaffolding around the signage site, according to live footage. They later draped a covering over the area, obscuring the removal process. By 3:30 a.m., workers had packed up and left, leaving the site covered. It remains unclear whether the removal was completed.
The operation came after a federal appeals court on Friday denied a last-minute bid by the Kennedy Center to halt the removal. The case has become a flashpoint in Trump's second-term focus on the venue, where he replaced the center's leadership and installed a board of trustees that nominated him as chair. His name was added to the center's signage and website late last year. Trump has also pushed to close the center for two years for renovations, a plan that has faced legal hurdles.
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex-officio board member, filed a lawsuit to block both the renaming and the closure. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama appointee, ruled in Beatty's favor, ordering the administration to remove Trump's name by the Friday deadline.
The center's board filed an emergency appeal this week, arguing that removing the Trump name 'threatens to substantially undermine fundraising and financial viability at the most sensitive point in its history.' Judge Cooper denied the appeal, stating the board had not demonstrated irreparable harm.
Beatty celebrated the removal in a statement early Saturday morning. 'Today's victory is the beginning of returning the Kennedy Center to the American people,' she said. 'The rule of law prevailed, and that is worth celebrating. Let this send a message across the country: when we stand up, fight back, and defend our democracy, we can win. This is just the beginning.'
The court battle is part of a broader pattern of legal clashes over Trump's influence on federal institutions. In a related development, the D.C. Circuit recently rejected the Trump administration's bid to halt the Kennedy Center name removal, as covered in our earlier report. Meanwhile, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore removed National Park displays, highlighting ongoing tensions over executive actions.
