Key facts
- President Donald Trump's name has been removed from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
- A federal judge ruled the venue could not be renamed without congressional approval.
- The removal was delayed by thunderstorms, leading to a last-minute attempt by the Trump administration to pause the order.
- The use of tarps to cover the removal work has sparked criticism, with some describing Trump as a "snowflake" and accusing him of having a "fragile ego."
Workers removed U.S. President Donald Trump's name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. early Saturday morning, June 13, 2026, following a federal judge's order. The removal came after a missed court-ordered deadline, with the Department of Justice citing thunderstorms as the reason for a requested extension.
Work began around 1:20 a.m., hours after the original deadline of 11:59 p.m. Friday. Scaffolding had been erected on Friday, and striped plastic sheeting was used to cover the work as crews removed the letters. The operation reportedly took about 30 minutes.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper had ordered the removal, ruling that the venue could not be renamed without an act of Congress. The Kennedy Center's board, which Trump chairs, had voted in December to rename the venue to include his name, and the signage was added the following day, marking a reversal less than six months after the name was affixed.
The Department of Justice had requested a 12-hour extension to the deadline, citing safety risks due to thunderstorms. Democratic U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty, who initiated the lawsuit, called the delay request "inexcusable" and part of a "pattern of non-compliance."
Matt Floca, the center's executive director and chief operating officer, certified to the court that all physical signage purporting to rename the center after President Trump had been removed.