Trump's name removed from the Kennedy Center following a federal judge's order

The name of President Donald Trump was removed this Saturday from the facade of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., after a federal court ordered the performing arts institution to reverse its controversial name change and restore its original identity. The removal followed a ruling issued last month by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who determined that renaming the cultural venue in honor of Trump violated federal law and exceeded the authority of the institution’s administrators.

In a filing submitted Saturday to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Kennedy Center Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director Matthew Floca confirmed that staff had completed the removal of “all physical signage” from the property that sought to rename the center in honor of anyone other than President John F. Kennedy. The institution also informed the court that it had fully complied with the court order beyond the physical removal of the signs. References to Trump were removed from the Kennedy Center’s website, new employee badges were issued, email signatures were updated, and trademark applications related to the renaming effort were withdrawn.

The legal dispute arose from Trump’s attempt to attach his name to one of the country’s most renowned cultural institutions. Judge Cooper ruled in May that the move conflicted with the federal laws establishing the center and that only Congress has the authority to change its official name. Efforts by the Trump administration and the Department of Justice to delay the ruling’s implementation were unsuccessful. Both Judge Cooper and a federal appeals court rejected last-minute requests to stay the order, clearing the way for the restoration of the Kennedy Center’s original name.