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WTOP Staff
June 14, 2026, 9:48 AM
President Donald Trump’s name was officially removed from the Kennedy Center’s facade Saturday afternoon — but now a tarp is concealing the updated signage.
Matt Floca, executive director and chief operating officer of the performing arts venue, told a federal court Saturday that the institution had complied with an order to remove Trump’s name from the facade. In a filing, Floca said the board of trustees and the center 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.”
But for onlookers who have gathered on the plaza in front of the center over the past day hoping to witness a dramatic moment symbolizing the limits of Trump’s power, it was virtually impossible to see whether the signage was gone. A tarp hung over the scaffolding constructed for workers to perform that task.
It is unclear when the tarp might be removed to reveal the original lettering that had endured for decades: “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
A reporter was able to peer through a slight opening in the tarp, which was pulled tightly against the wall, and saw that the letters for Trump’s name were no longer affixed to the building.
By the end, the Kennedy Center’s leadership had dug in against a federal judge’s order to erase Trump’s name from the building. Two courts rejected the institution’s last-minute request to keep retain Trump’s name pending an appeal. After severe thunderstorms raked the D.C. region on Friday evening, the Kennedy Center sought one more extension before complying with a noon Saturday deadline.
See photos of the building’s updated exterior below.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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