Trump’s name is gone from the Kennedy Center’s facade: top official
The letters spelling out President Donald Trump’s name on the facade of the Kennedy Center are now gone, the executive director of the performing arts
The letters spelling out President Donald Trump’s name on the facade of the Kennedy Center are now gone, the executive director of the performing arts venue said in a legal filing on Saturday (June 13, 2026) with the court that had ordered the removal. A tarp continued to hang over the scaffolding constructed for workers to remove Mr. Trump’s name from the building, making it impossible to immediately detect whether the only words remaining on its white marble portico are “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.” Matt Floca, who is also the center’s chief operating officer, told the court that he was a “responsible official of the Kennedy Center” qualified to certify compliance with the order. He wrote that the board of trustees and the center have 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.” That declaration to U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper came after a day of legal maneuvers and thunderstorms, and hours after workers had begun the process of removing the Republican president’s name. They started hours past the original court-ordered deadline, later extended to noon EDT, and did their work shrouded by the tarp, much to the frustration of onlookers who had gathered for hours hoping to witness a dramatic moment symbolizing the limits of Mr. Trump’s power.
The removal of Mr. Trump’s name closes one of the more unusual chapters in the history of the Kennedy Center, which began construction in 1964 and was dedicated to the memory of the slain president, Democrat John F. Kennedy. At what is typically one of the few relatively nonpartisan spaces in Washington, Mr. Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his second term. Though he rarely discussed the Kennedy Center during his 2024 campaign, Mr. Trump moved quickly to oust the institution’s leadership when he returned to office in January 2025 and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. His name was quickly added to the building. While the removal of his name marks a setback for Mr. Trump, he is moving forward with plans to reshape the physical landscape of the nation’s capital in ways that have few modern parallels. He demolished the East Wing of the White House and is building a controversial ballroom in its place. He remodeled the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and plans extensive renovations of a golf course in East Potomac Park, moves that could significantly reduce the public’s access to running and biking paths. He is also moving forward with a triumphal arch that will sit near Arlington Cemetery across the Potomac River in Virginia.
The BriefWire