President Trump’s name had been placed on the Kennedy Center facade earlier this year – part of a broader push by his administration to stamp federal landmarks with his identity. A federal judge ordered it removed. What happened next was anything but transparent.
The removal
Workers took down the name on Friday, June 13, but they didn’t do it in plain sight. NPR’s Frank Langfitt was among onlookers watching from outside as crews actively blocked the public’s view of the process. No officials came out to speak. No announcement was made at the time the work was underway.
Langfitt reported that the secrecy surrounding the removal was striking — passersby gathered, watched as much as they could, and got little explanation for what was happening or how long it would take.
The judge’s order driving the removal wasn’t detailed further in NPR’s initial account, and the Kennedy Center hadn’t publicly addressed the timeline or scope of the work as of Friday evening.
Whether Trump’s name will return to the building – through an appeal or a subsequent court ruling — hasn’t been answered.
Reported by NPR's Frank Langfitt. Read the original report.
