'Take it down!' Crowd cheers as Kennedy Centre removes Trump's name - watch

The removal of US President Donald Trump's name from the facade of The John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington was completed on Saturday. The move comes after a federal court ordered the venue to reverse its renaming, according to a legal filing submitted by the centre's executive director. The process that began early in the morning under the cover of curtains was completed as stated by the center's executive director and chief operating officer Matt Floca. In a declaration filed with US district judge Christopher Cooper, Floca wrote that the board of trustees and the centre had removed "all physical signage on the Kennedy Center building and grounds, including the front portico, that purports to rename the Kennedy Center after President Trump." Video making rounds on the internet showed crowd gathered outside the Kennedy Centre as removal carried out behind white tard hung by scaffoldings. People could be heard cheering "take it down" in unison. By midday in Washington, workers had completed the removal process, although a white tarp and scaffolding still covered part of the building's exterior, making it difficult to immediately verify whether the letters had been fully taken down. The sign bearing Trump's name had been concealed earlier while crews carried out the work. Workers began dismantling the signage several hours after the original court-ordered deadline, which was later extended until noon EDT. The operation took place largely behind the tarp, disappointing onlookers who had gathered in hopes of witnessing the moment the president's name came down. Soon after beginning his second term, Trump moved to replace the centre's leadership and install a new board of trustees, which subsequently named him chairman. His name was then added to the building. Later, a court ruling in May ordered not only Trump's name to be removed off the building but also blocked a planned two-year closure for renovations that had been scheduled to begin next month. In an unsuccessful appeal filed on Friday seeking to pause the order, Kennedy Center leadership argued that the court's intervention was obstructing necessary repair work at the building. "The District Court is not allowing us to close in order to properly fix up and repair the Building, including potentially life threatening structural damage like beams and parking garage ceilings that are rusted, and in serious danger of falling onto people below," the appeal stated. "Indeed, total collapse!" The institution also argued that removing the signage could prove wasteful if it later prevailed in court. If the court declined to halt the order, the Kennedy Center said it would "be forced to squander time and money — by both removing the signage and then potentially returning it after appeal." Despite Saturday's removal of the signage, the centre indicated that Trump's name could return to the building should its appeal ultimately succeed. Kennedy Center is one of Washington's most prominent cultural institutions which was established as a memorial to President John F Kennedy. The venue became the focus of political controversy after Trump returned to office in January 2025 and got his name added to the centre's name.