Kennedy Center draw crowd as worker started removing US President Donald Trump’s name from the facade.
According to CNBC News, the crew begin their work early on Saturday, June 13, hours after a court-ordered Friday deadline to remove references to Trump from the building and other aspects of the iconic performing arts venue’s operations.
Scaffolding was erected Friday around a section of the building that includes Trump’s name, but shortly after midnight, the Kennedy Center asked a judge to extend the deadline until noon Eastern Time on Saturday because of thunderstorms that had swept through the Washington area, causing a delay.
In the filing, the Kennedy Center offered assurance that the “removal work is presently ongoing” and would “conclude in the early hours of the morning.”
A few hours later, workers began covering the scaffolding with tarps before eventually starting to take down Trump’s name. They packed up and left the site around 3:30 am, though the tarps remained, leaving it impossible to determine if all the letters had been removed.
Dozens of people spent hours on Friday on the plaza in front of the Kennedy Center, taking pictures and occasionally cheering as they broke into chants of “take it down.” Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex officio board member who sued to have Trump’s name removed from the building, was spotted on the plaza at one point.
Earlier Friday afternoon, a judge rejected a request to pause the court-ordered deadline. The institution appealed that ruling, an effort that was also rebuffed Friday evening.
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. Trump’s name was quickly added to the building.
