{"id":1731,"date":"2026-06-14T22:32:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T22:32:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1731"},"modified":"2026-06-14T22:32:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T22:32:36","slug":"kennedy-center-begins-removing-president-trumps-name-after-court-deadline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1731","title":{"rendered":"Kennedy Center begins removing President Trump\u2019s name after court deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The letters spelling out President Donald Trump’s name on the facade of the Kennedy Center are now gone, the executive director of the performing arts venue said in a legal filing Saturday with the court that had ordered the removal.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump holds phone calls with Putin and Zelenskyy on his 80th birthday<\/a><\/p>\n

A tarp continued to hang over the scaffolding constructed for workers to remove Trump\u2019s name from the building, making it impossible to immediately detect whether the only words remaining on its white marble portico are \u201cThe John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matt Floca, who is also the center’s chief operating officer, told the court that he was a \u201cresponsible official of the Kennedy Center\u201d qualified to certify compliance with the order. He wrote that the board of trustees and the center have removed \u201call physical signage on the Kennedy Center building and grounds, including the front portico, that purports to rename the Kennedy Center after President Trump.”<\/p>\n

That declaration to U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper came after a day of legal maneuvers and thunderstorms, and hours after workers had begun the process of removing the Republican president’s name. They started hours past the original court-ordered deadline, later extended to noon EDT, and did their work shrouded by the tarp, much to the frustration of onlookers who had gathered for hours hoping to witness a dramatic moment symbolizing the limits of Trump’s power.<\/p>\n

The removal of Trump’s name closes one of the more unusual chapters in the history of the Kennedy Center, which began construction in 1964 and was dedicated to the memory of the slain president, Democrat John F. Kennedy. At what is typically one of the few relatively nonpartisan spaces in Washington, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his second term.<\/p>\n

RELATED STORY | <\/b>Trump renaming controversy grows as second Kennedy Center event axed<\/b><\/p>\n

Though he rarely discussed the Kennedy Center during his 2024 campaign, Trump moved quickly to oust the institution’s leadership when he returned to office in January 2025 and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. His name was quickly added to the building.<\/p>\n

While the removal of his name marks a setback for Trump, he is moving forward with plans to reshape the physical landscape of the nation’s capital in ways that have few modern parallels.<\/p>\n

He demolished the East Wing of the White House and is building a controversial ballroom in its place. He remodeled the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and plans extensive renovations of a golf course in East Potomac Park, moves that could significantly reduce the public’s access to running and biking paths. He is also moving forward with a triumphal arch that will sit near Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River in Virginia.<\/p>\n

Indeed as Trump’s name was being removed from the Kennedy Center, the South Lawn of the White House has been transformed into a venue for a UFC match intended to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence but also coinciding with Trump’s birthday on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Read more Multiple people arrested in New York City as Knicks fans celebrate NBA championship<\/a><\/p>\n

Back at the Kennedy Center, there are many questions about the institution’s future. The same May court decision that ordered Trump’s name to be removed from the building also blocked a planned two-year closure for renovations that was set to begin next month.<\/p>\n

The Kennedy Center’s calendar for the weeks ahead include performances of \u201cMoulin Rouge! The Musical\u201d and \u201cBluey’s Big Play.\u201d Comedian Bill Maher is to be awarded the Mark Twain Award for American Humor during a ceremony on June 28.<\/p>\n

But little is scheduled for the stages beyond that and, after substantially reducing staff, it is unclear how quickly the Kennedy Center could build out a robust performance list. Trump, angered by the court’s order to remove his name, has said he would turn the Kennedy Center over to Congress and has suggested it might simply shutter because of public safety concerns.<\/p>\n

In its unsuccessful appeal on Friday seeking a pause on the order removing Trump’s name, the Kennedy Center’s leadership argued, in terms that seemed similar to the president’s speech patterns, that the lower court was interfering with needed renovations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d according to the appeal. \u201cIndeed, total collapse!\u201d<\/p>\n

The institution also suggested that the president’s name could return to the building if the Kennedy Center later wins its appeal.<\/p>\n

If the court denied the venue’s request for a pause, the Kennedy Center argued it would \u201cbe forced to squander time and money \u2014 by both removing the signage and then potentially returning it after appeal.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED STORY | <\/b>Trump’s name poised to be removed from Kennedy Center after judge denies last-minute move to keep it<\/b><\/p>\n

Read more Steven Spielberg\u2019s \u2018Disclosure Day\u2019 opens No. 1, while \u2018Obsession\u2019 sensation continues<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the early hours, crews began removing Trump\u2019s name from the Kennedy Center after a court-ordered deadline to take it down.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nKennedy Center begins removing President Trump\u2019s name after court deadline - Arizona Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1731\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kennedy Center begins removing President Trump\u2019s name after court deadline - Arizona Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the early hours, crews began removing Trump\u2019s name from the Kennedy Center after a court-ordered deadline to take it down.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1731\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arizona Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-14T22:32:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1731#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1731\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9c272b4cf18e019eb01eb3c1b5d855fb\"},\"headline\":\"Kennedy Center begins removing President Trump\u2019s name after court deadline\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-14T22:32:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1731\"},\"wordCount\":877,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1731#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/23249ca72303867b97e8c7e6ebafde1c.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"National Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1731#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1731\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1731\",\"name\":\"Kennedy Center begins removing President Trump\u2019s name after court deadline - Arizona Moving Insider\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1731#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1731#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/23249ca72303867b97e8c7e6ebafde1c.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-14T22:32:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9c272b4cf18e019eb01eb3c1b5d855fb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1731#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1731\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1731#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/23249ca72303867b97e8c7e6ebafde1c.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/23249ca72303867b97e8c7e6ebafde1c.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682,\"caption\":\"The wall of the John F. 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