The Kennedy Center has removed Donald Trump’s name from its building after complying with a federal court order, according to a filing by executive director and chief operating officer Matt Floca on Saturday, June 13. Floca said the board of trustees and the institution had taken down all physical signage on the Kennedy Center grounds that attempted to rename the venue after Trump. Although the removal was confirmed in court, the work was not immediately visible because a tarp remained over the scaffolding used by workers, making it difficult to see the building’s updated exterior.
The original name on the building, “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” had been present for decades before Trump’s name was added during his second term. Reporters later confirmed that Trump’s lettering was no longer attached to the structure, even though the covered facade prevented a full public view of the changes. The tarp is expected to stay in place until the scaffolding is removed.
The decision follows a series of legal setbacks for Kennedy Center leadership, which had tried to keep Trump’s name on the building while pursuing an appeal. Two courts rejected a last-minute request to delay the removal. The venue also asked for more time after severe thunderstorms in Washington on Friday evening, arguing that the district court’s order was interfering with renovations. In its appeal, the Kennedy Center claimed the building needed repairs and said there were serious structural concerns, including rusted beams and parking garage ceilings that could pose safety risks. Despite those arguments, the institution met the court’s noon Saturday deadline to remove the signage.
The issue now raises new questions about the Kennedy Center’s future and whether Trump’s name could ever return. The same May court decision that ordered the signage removed also blocked a planned two-year closure for renovations set to begin next month. Kennedy Center leadership had argued that if it ultimately won its appeal, it might reinstall the name later, saying that removing the sign now and replacing it after a favorable ruling would waste time and money.
The removal marks the latest turn in Trump’s growing influence over Washington’s physical landscape during his second term. He moved quickly after returning to office in January 2025 to replace the Kennedy Center’s leadership and install a board that named him chairman. His name was then placed on the building. While that chapter has ended for now, Trump continues advancing other high-profile projects in the capital, including a UFC event on the White House South Lawn, a controversial ballroom project tied to the demolition of the East Wing, changes to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, planned golf course renovations near East Potomac Park, and a proposed triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery.
