WASHINGTON — An appeals court rejected a last-ditch effort by the Kennedy Center’s leadership to keep President Donald Trump’s name on the building, leaving the institution with few options other than removing the name in the coming hours.
With storms dancing around Washington before a court-ordered deadline to remove references to Trump, workers were seen building scaffolding around a section of the building that includes the president’s name. A crowd gathered nearby and cheered their work as Trump’s name moved closer to being taken down.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled Trump’s name was illegally added to the iconic Washington performing arts facility and ordered it removed by Friday. Late Thursday, Trump’s handpicked board at the center mounted a last-minute effort to keep his name on the facade of the iconic performing arts facility, a request that Cooper denied.
A June 4 memo to staff from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel said email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or “Kennedy Center.”
The Kennedy Center’s website has dropped Trump’s name. And an earlier email sent to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony came from the Kennedy Center without including Trump’s name.
After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman.
In his earlier ruling, Cooper also blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations that had been planned to start in July and last for two years.
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