US District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled on May 29 that only Congress could rename the arts centre.
The wall of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is covered in tarp after President Donald Trump's name was removed, in Washington on Jun 13, 2026. (Photo: AP/Cliff Owen)
13 Jun 2026 05:53PM
(Updated: 13 Jun 2026 06:03PM)
WASHINGTON: Workers stripped US President Donald Trump's name from the Kennedy Center early on Saturday (Jun 13), less than six months after it went up, complying with a judge's ruling that the performing arts landmark cannot be renamed without an act of Congress.The work began around 1.20am, hours after the Department of Justice said the government would miss the court-ordered deadline of 11.59pm on Friday to take Trump's name off the Washington venue, created a half-century ago to honour an assassinated president.The centre's board, which Trump chairs, voted in December to rename it The Donald J Trump and The John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Workers began affixing his name to the building the next day.REMOVAL FOLLOWS MISSED DEADLINE, COURT FILINGSAfter erecting scaffolding late on Friday, workers draped tarps over the temporary structure in the predawn hours and were seen removing letters around 3.10am in an operation that took about 30 minutes.
