Donald Trump’s name has officially been stripped from the Kennedy Center following a federal court ruling declaring the rebranding illegal.
Workers removed the president’s name from the Washington, D.C., performing arts venue in a predawn operation on June 13, less than six months after it was added to the building’s exterior.
The billionaire mogul’s name became associated with the institution in December after its board voted unanimously to rename the venue the “Trump-Kennedy Center.”
However, a judge recently ordered the removal of Trump’s name, ruling that the change violated the 1964 federal law that established the center.
Donald Trump’s Name Was Removed From Kennedy Center Signage Overnight
Workers began removing Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center’s exterior signage in the early hours of June 13, following a court order that required the institution to restore its original name.
According to USA Today, crews arrived at the Washington, D.C., venue on June 12, mounted scaffolding, and later began taking down the lettering from the building’s facade. The removal came after the Department of Justice failed to secure a last-minute pause of the ruling and after the court-ordered deadline to remove Trump’s name had passed.
Staff Ordered To Drop Trump Name From Official Materials
Days before the physical removal of Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the decision was already being implemented internally, according to a report by The New York Times.
An internal memo obtained by the outlet revealed that the center’s general counsel had instructed employees to immediately remove Trump’s name from official branding and communications.
This included updates to social media accounts, email signatures, voicemail messages, websites, ID cards, and parking signs.
Staff were also ordered to alter indoor and outdoor signage, as well as other materials associated with Trump.
The urgency of the move appeared to stem from the timeline in the judge’s ruling, which ordered the center to restore the previous status quo within two weeks.
Donald Trump’s Kennedy Center Rebrand Faced Pushback
The original decision to add Trump’s name to the building drew criticism from several observers and ultimately prompted Ohio Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty to file a lawsuit seeking to reverse the change.
Beatty argued that the board, which, according to reports, was largely composed of Trump appointees and supporters, lacked the authority to unilaterally rename an institution whose title had been established by Congress.
Her lawsuit also challenged Trump’s proposal to close the center for two years for renovations, particularly the rationale behind the plan.
In addition, Beatty pointed to declining ticket sales and the departure of numerous artists since Trump’s takeover of the institution, seemingly to argue that his name had only worsened the situation at the Kennedy Center.
Judge Finds Donald Trump’s Rebrand Violated Federal Law
Much of Beatty’s argument was ultimately supported by Judge Christopher R. Cooper of the U.S. District Court in Washington, who outlined his reasoning in a 94-page opinion issued late last month.
Judge Cooper concluded that the name change violated the 1964 federal law that established the Kennedy Center as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy and as a symbol of America’s commitment to the arts.
According to the justice, the statute makes clear that “the Kennedy Center must be named for, and is meant to honor, President Kennedy alone.”
He further stated that any effort to alter the institution’s name would require congressional approval, as Congress alone has the authority to amend the law governing the center.
Donald Trump Threatens To Walk Away From Kennedy Center Fight
Trump was left infuriated by Judge Cooper’s ruling and took to his Truth Social platform to voice his frustration.
He said the judge should be “ashamed of himself” for blocking his plans for the institution, claiming that Cooper would rather allow the center to decline than be transformed into something “everyone could be proud of.”
The billionaire mogul then shared his decision to step away from overseeing the institution altogether, saying he “cannot be involved with a situation where danger to the public is allowed to flourish in plain and open sight.”
“Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically,” the real estate mogul added. “I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into ‘NEVER NEVER LAND.’”