Key facts
- President Trump's name was removed from the Kennedy Center on Saturday.
- A federal appeals court denied the administration's request to delay the removal.
- The Justice Department confirmed compliance with a court order to remove the signage.
- Rep. Robert Garcia called the removal a significant moment for the country.
- The renaming was a decision by Trump's appointed board without congressional input.
Representative Robert Garcia, the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, celebrated the removal of President Trump's name from the Kennedy Center on Saturday, characterizing it as a crucial victory for democracy and the rule of law.
Workers commenced the process of stripping Trump's name from the performing arts center's façade early Saturday, hours after a court-imposed deadline. The Justice Department confirmed that all physical signage renaming the center after President Trump had been taken down, complying with a federal appeals court's decision that denied a last-minute attempt by the administration to halt the process.
Earlier in May, District Judge Christopher Cooper had ordered the removal, stating that any renaming required an act of Congress as the center's name is mandated by law. The administration had argued that a swift removal would be a waste of resources, only to potentially reverse it if their appeal succeeded. Lawyers for Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio Kennedy Center board member who initiated a lawsuit against the renaming and a planned two-year closure for renovations, accused the administration of attempting to manipulate the judicial system.
The decision by Trump's appointed board in November to rename the institution "The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" had drawn widespread criticism from Democratic lawmakers, arts community members, and descendants of John F. Kennedy, leading to severed affiliations and event cancellations.