Workers at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts began removing President Donald Trump’s name overnight early Saturday morning, after a federal judge ruled against a last-minute attempt to halt the work and preserve Trump’s name. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama-era appointee, rejected the request on Friday to temporarily block the […]
Workers at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts began removing President Donald Trump’s name overnight early Saturday morning, after a federal judge ruled against a last-minute attempt to halt the work and preserve Trump’s name.
Workers construct scaffolding below the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts sign Friday, June 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)Workers wait for the rain to stop before resuming work to remove President Donald Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama-era appointee, rejected the request on Friday to temporarily block the name change as the Kennedy Center had failed to prove that its appeal was likely to succeed.
People wait for President Donald Trump’s name to be removed from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)People wait for President Donald Trump’s name to be removed from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Workers install tarps on the scaffolding at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Scaffolding appeared outside the performing arts theater on Friday, with protesters gathering to cheer for the removal of Trump’s name from the building’s facade. The Kennedy Center board of trustees said thunderstorms had delayed the work.
A worker removes a letter from President Donald Trump’s name from the wall of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
The wall of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is covered in tarp after President Donald Trump’s name was removed, in Washington, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Workers left the site at 3:30 a.m., but the tarp remained in front of the building.
