Topline
Construction crews are setting up under the sign on the Kennedy Center building that still bears President Donald Trump’s name as of Friday afternoon, the day of the court-ordered deadline to remove it, though Trump’s appointees are mounting a last-minute bid in court to halt the removal.
Construction crews arrived at the Kennedy Center on Friday. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Construction crews are setting up under the Kennedy Center’s sign, apparently preparing to remove Trump’s name from the building’s facade, according to various livestreams outside the center.
The crews have not yet started to remove any letters, and the sign still includes “The Donald J. Trump And” words on the building, added by the White House’s direction, above the original sign that reads: “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts.”
Lawyers representing the Trump-appointed leaders at the Kennedy Center filed a last-minute appeal overnight to block the court order, which is pending a judge’s review.
Earlier this week, the Kennedy Center dropped Trump’s name from its website, and it referred to itself as the “Kennedy Center,” not the “Trump Kennedy Center,” in a recent email to members, the Associated Press reported.
Friday is the court-ordered deadline for the Kennedy Center to remove Trump’s name from its building and other digital or physical branding materials after a federal judge ruled the Kennedy Center board cannot unilaterally change the center’s name without congressional approval.
what to watch for
Whether a last-minute push by the Kennedy Center actually halts the removal of Trump’s name on Friday. Lawyers representing the Kennedy Center filed an appeal seeking to keep Trump’s name on the building late Thursday, and they also requested a stay that would block the judge’s order from taking effect before the appeal is resolved. In a court filing requesting the stay, the Kennedy Center’s lawyers said “requiring a name change now, only to potentially revert back to the current name after appeal” would be “incredibly confusing for the public” and a waste of time and money. Should the judge deny the center’s request for a stay, the Kennedy Center can appeal the decision to Washington’s federal court of appeals, but the timeline for such a process is unclear, the New York Times reported.