Topline
Huge tarps blocking the Kennedy Center sign, which now no longer includes President Donald Trump’s name following a court order, are still blocking the public’s view for a seventh straight day with no indication as to when they will come down.
Key Facts
Though the Kennedy Center says Trump’s name is no longer on the building, onlookers haven’t been able to see the proof as a huge tarp has covered the building for a week straight, leaving just a few letters from the center’s original name peeking out.
The tarp, which was put up on June 12 as workers removed Trump’s name, still stands as of Friday morning, according to pictures captured by the Associated Press.
Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi told the Washington Post the tarps are up to repair the marble facade, but did not say when they are expected to come down.
In a court filing on Saturday, lawyers representing the Kennedy Center said it is now in “full compliance” with the court order to ditch Trump’s name, specifically noting it has “removed signage ‘that purports to rename the Kennedy Center after President Trump.’”
Kennedy Center officials had weeks to remove Trump’s name following a May ruling, but the center launched a last-minute legal battle to block the court order on Friday, which failed, though it is still pursuing an appeal that could take weeks.
Forbes has reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment on when the tarp will be removed.
chief critics
Some Democratic members of Congress have slammed the Kennedy Center for keeping up the tarps, days after Trump’s name came off. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., called the tarps “a literal coverup” in a post on X Wednesday, saying Trump “got caught vandalizing federal property” and likened adding his name to the Kennedy Center to posting graffiti. “It will be a beautiful day when the name of the Kennedy Center is restored to visibility,” Raskin said. Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., accused the Kennedy Center of “hiding the sign” with “no plans” to take the tarp down, calling it “petty” and “embarrassing.” Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, who filed the original lawsuit challenging the addition of Trump’s name, posted a video to X earlier this week mocking the Kennedy Center for taking down his name behind a tarp. “Who do they think they’re fooling?👀” the video is captioned.
judge orders kennedy center to update court on construction
U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper ruled Tuesday evening the Kennedy Center must inform the court of the “status of plans for the Kennedy Center construction project” by Friday. The center must also detail what steps it has taken to make plans for “public access and ongoing programming, activities, and operations after July 5, 2026.” It’s unclear whether the order is specifically requesting information about the tarp blocking the sign. Part of Cooper’s original ruling in May blocked the center from closing for two years of renovations beginning in July, as Trump had advocated for. His ruling said the center’s decision to close was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained,” saying the board decided to close based on an “insufficient, one-sided presentation of information” that failed to consider the center’s “statutory obligations” and the potential consequences of closing for so long. The Kennedy Center’s calendar for July and beyond is sparse, with events largely relegated to the weekends. Most of the events on the calendar for this summer are film screenings, with a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra planned for July 26.
what to watch for
Whether the center’s appeal eventually succeeds. Late last week, the center’s board of trustees voted to appeal the federal judge’s ruling that mandated Trump’s name be removed. The center also attempted to pause the judge’s ruling while the appeal plays out, but both a federal judge and an appeals court rejected their request for a stay. Kennedy Center officials have suggested in legal filings it would restore Trump’s name should it win an appeal, saying in a filing last week the center would “revert back to the current name”—referring to the “Trump Kennedy Center” name—if the appeal succeeds.
tangent
The tarp has disappointed onlookers who had hoped to watch Trump’s name come down from the building. The New York Times reported about 150 people had gathered in front of the center on Saturday, hoping to watch Trump’s name be removed, but the tarp blocked their view. After the appeals court rejected the Kennedy Center’s attempt to pause the directive to remove Trump’s name Friday night, about 100 onlookers erupted in cheers, the Washington Post reported. Tim Terpstra, a Washington, D.C. resident, told CNN over the weekend he visited the Kennedy Center twice to see the removal of Trump’s name. “It would be nice to be able to see to make sure that it is down, and no vestiges of what was up there still remain,” he said.
surprising fact
Despite the court ruling, the Kennedy Center board of trustees voted to establish an endowment fund that bears Trump’s name. The fund, called the “Trump Kennedy Center Fund,” is intended to “recognize President Donald J. Trump’s significant contributions and dedication to America’s premier cultural center,” Roma Davari, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, told CBS News on Sunday. Davari said the center remains “fully compliant with the court’s directive,” and CBS News reported the endowment will focus on the “physical disrepair” of the building, citing an unnamed source familiar.
key background
U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper ruled in late May the Kennedy Center had two weeks to remove Trump’s name from all physical and digital materials. Cooper cited the center’s establishing law, which says the Kennedy Center’s name cannot be changed without congressional approval, saying the law “makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy.” The Kennedy Center board of trustees, hand-picked by Trump, had voted to add Trump’s name to the center in December. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, filed a lawsuit challenging the addition of Trump’s name, citing the center’s establishing law. Trump blasted Cooper’s ruling, suggesting in a post on Truth Social he should be “brought up on charges” for conflict of interest because his wife, Amy Jeffress, is a personal counsel to former President Joe Biden. Trump has embarked on a broader takeover of the Kennedy Center, purging the board and replacing its members with allies as he has denigrated the center’s “woke” programming.
further reading
Judge Blocks Kennedy Center Bid To Keep Trump’s Name — As Construction Crews Prepare To Take It Down (Forbes)
