Donald Trump’s name has been removed from the Kennedy Center facade, a symbolic and public reversal that matters because the venue sits at the center of a major cultural institution now caught in a high-profile fight over control, branding, and public memory. Matt Floca, the venue’s executive director and chief operating officer, told a federal court Saturday that the center had complied with an order to take the name down.
The signage came down under court pressure
In a filing, Floca said the board of trustees and the center had removed “all physical signage on the Kennedy Center building and grounds, including the front portico, that purports to rename the Kennedy Center after President Trump.” Tarps hung on scaffolding outside the building on June 13, and it was not immediately clear from the plaza whether the work had been completed. A reporter who looked through an opening in the tarp saw that the letters for Trump’s name were no longer attached to the building.
The center had fought the order, but two courts rejected its last-minute request to keep Trump’s name in place pending an appeal. After severe thunderstorms hit Washington Friday evening, the Kennedy Center asked for one more extension before complying with a noon Saturday deadline.
Supporters called it a win for the center
Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex officio member of the board who sued to remove references to the president from the building and the center’s operations, was seen on the plaza Friday night and Saturday morning. She also posted a video to social media that appeared to show her performing the “Trump dance” in one of the Kennedy Center’s great halls.
“Today’s victory is the beginning of returning the Kennedy Center to the American people,” Beatty said in a statement. “The rule of law prevailed, and that is worth celebrating.”
Leo Bartholomaus, a recent Syracuse University graduate who lives in Virginia, said he had been at the Kennedy Center Friday afternoon after visiting the National Mall to see events connected to the UFC match at the White House. He said he was not happy that Trump added his name to the building and preferred the original Kennedy Center name.
A new chapter in a long-running dispute
The name removal closes one of the more unusual chapters in the Kennedy Center’s history. The building began construction in 1964 and was dedicated to the memory of John F. Kennedy.
Trump has had significant influence over the venue during his second term. Though he rarely discussed the Kennedy Center during his 2024 campaign, he moved quickly after returning to office in January 2025 to oust the institution’s leadership, replace it with a board of trustees that named him chairman, and add his name to the building.
What to watch next: the center has now complied with the court order, but the source says Trump is still pursuing plans to reshape the physical venue.
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