Kennedy Center takes down Trump’s name: Photos

Published June 13, 2026 9:23am ET | Updated June 13, 2026 9:23am ET



Workers at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts began removing President Donald Trump’s name overnight early Saturday morning, after a federal judge ruled against a last-minute attempt to halt the work and preserve Trump’s name.

Workers construct scaffolding below the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts sign Friday, June 12, 2026, in Washington.
Workers construct scaffolding below the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts sign Friday, June 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Workers wait for the rain to stop before resuming work to remove President Donald Trump's name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Friday, June 12, 2026.
Workers wait for the rain to stop before resuming work to remove President Donald Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama-era appointee, rejected the request on Friday to temporarily block the name change as the Kennedy Center had failed to prove that its appeal was likely to succeed.

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