WASHINGTON — Crews began removing President Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center facade early Saturday, just hours after a court-imposed Friday deadline requiring the performing arts institution to strip references to Trump from the building and other parts of its operations.
Scaffolding went up Friday around the section of the exterior bearing Trump’s name. Shortly after midnight, however, the Kennedy Center asked a judge to push the deadline to noon Saturday, citing thunderstorms in the Washington area that had slowed the work.
In its court filing, the Kennedy Center said the removal process was already underway and expected to be finished in the early morning hours.
Several hours later, workers were seen draping tarps over the scaffolding before ultimately beginning to dismantle the signage.
On Friday, dozens of people gathered for hours in the plaza outside the Kennedy Center, snapping photos, cheering at times and chanting, “Take it down.” Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex-officio member of the board who filed the lawsuit seeking the removal of Trump’s name, was also seen at the scene.
Earlier in the day, a judge denied a request to halt enforcement of the deadline. The Kennedy Center appealed that decision, but that effort was also turned down Friday night.
After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. Trump’s name was quickly added to the building.
In his ruling that only Congress could make changes to the Kennedy Center’s name, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper also blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations that had been planned to start in July and last for two years.
The Kennedy Center’s leadership argued in its appeal Friday that the renovation was badly needed and accused the lower court, in terms that seemed similar to Trump’s speech patterns, of interfering in the effort.
“The District Court is not allowing us to close in order to properly fix up and repair the Building, including potentially life threatening structural damage like beams and parking garage ceilings that are rusted, and in serious danger of falling onto people below,” according to the appeal. “Indeed, total collapse!”
Even as the Kennedy Center has fought efforts to remove Trump’s name from the building, it has taken steps to comply with Cooper’s initial ruling.
A June 4 memo to staff from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel said email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or “Kennedy Center.”
The Kennedy Center’s website has dropped Trump’s name. And an earlier email sent to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony came from the Kennedy Center without including Trump’s name.
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Associated Press journalists Anna Johnson, Mark Sherman and Emily Wang in Washington and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.
