Trump’s Name Removed From Kennedy Center Facade

President Donald Trump was removed from the facade of the Kennedy Center in Washington following a court ruling. On May 29, Judge Christopher Cooper ordered the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees to remove, within two weeks, any reference to President Trump or any other person who is not President (John) Kennedy from the building’s facade, the center’s website or any other trademark.

Renovation work began after a federal judge rejected a request from the center’s board. The Kennedy Center had already removed Trump’s name from its website yesterday. Judge Cooper also suspended, until further notice, the decision to close the center for two years for renovations.

The U.S. president reacted to the ruling by saying he would begin working with Congress to transfer control of the center to him.

The law that established the Kennedy Center expressly provides that it be named in honor of President Kennedy and that it cannot carry another official name without congressional approval, Cooper argued. He justified the move by saying the center’s board had failed to fulfill its duty of care by not considering the possible negative consequences of closing the institution.

As early as Friday evening, many people gathered in front of the Kennedy Center, welcoming the installation of scaffolding on the facade, while thousands followed the renovation work online. The operation was delayed because of storms that would have posed a safety risk to workers, the center said.