US Court Strips Trump’s Name From Famous Kennedy Centre

Workers have officially removed the name of the sitting United States President, Donald Trump, from the front of the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington, following a major court ruling.

The venue confirmed that the removal followed a federal judge’s ruling that the renaming of the national monument was unlawful.

In a legal filing, Kennedy Centre Executive Director Matt Floca stated that the institution had removed all physical signage on the building and grounds bearing Trump’s name. A crew of construction workers worked overnight to dismantle the letters at the front of the arts building, meeting a strict court-imposed deadline.

The controversy began late last year when the centre’s board of trustees, chaired by Trump, voted in December to rename the venue the “Trump Kennedy Centre”. The president’s full name was subsequently added to the facade in large, all-capital letters above Kennedy’s.

However, US District Judge Christopher Cooper overturned the decision, ruling that the Kennedy Centre had been illegally renamed and that only the U.S. Congress has the legal authority to change the name of a national monument.

The judge gave the administration 14 days to remove Trump’s name from the marble facade and from all materials associated with the venue. On Friday, Judge Cooper rejected a final appeal by the centre’s board to delay his ruling and denied a request for a 12-hour extension, stating that the public interest is not served by keeping an unlawful government action.

Cooper also issued a temporary block on Trump’s demand to close the Kennedy Centre for 2 years of renovations, scheduled to begin in July.

In response to the developments, Trump stated that he was giving up control of the venue, which he had overseen since the start of his second term last year.