Workers began removing President Trump's name from the front of the Kennedy Center early Saturday morning, hours after a court-ordered deadline passed. Thunderstorms had delayed the work Friday night, causing crews to miss the original cutoff set by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper.
Cooper determined last month that Trump's name was illegally added to The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He ordered it removed by the end of the day on June 12. He also blocked the Trump administration's plans to close the center for two years of renovations.
Workers erected scaffolding outside the building Friday afternoon but did not begin prying the name off the facade until early Saturday. A tarp covered the work area, making it unclear whether the removal was fully complete. Lawyers for the Justice Department said in court filings late Friday that the work had been "delayed because of thunderstorms in the District of Columbia that presented safety concerns for workers," but would be complete by early Saturday. The Kennedy Center asked a judge to extend the deadline to noon Saturday, citing the storms. The court agreed.
As the name remained on the building past midnight, a crowd gathered outside and chanted: "Take it down."
Cooper denied the Trump administration's last-minute request for a stay of his injunction pending appeal, meaning his original deadline stayed in place. The Justice Department then asked the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to step in and allow the name to stay up. A panel of appellate judges rejected that request in a one-page order, directing the parties to file briefs later this month. The unsigned order came from two Obama-appointed judges and one Trump appointee, with no noted dissents.
In its emergency motion to the appellate court, the government argued that "it does not make sense to alter the Center's name and signage now, only to potentially revert the name again after what should be a successful appeal." The administration also contended the name change could confuse the public and harm fundraising. "Without the name, 'Trump' on the Building, our fundraising will not only come to a halt, but any and all monies raised or committed would be obligated to be returned, refunded, or terminated," the government wrote.
The Trump administration must file a certification with the court confirming the president's name has been removed by noon Saturday.
