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By Anna Commander and Joe Edwards
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The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts has missed a deadline to remove President Donald Trump's name from the building, with the historic venue asking for additional time to take down the signage after storms reportedly disrupted the effort.
The Kennedy Center had until 11:59 p.m. Friday to remove Trump's name from the building, according to CNN, following a court ruling that found the institution's board lacked the authority to make the change.
According to court records, the administration asked for the deadline to be extended to until noon on Saturday to complete the removal, reporting that work had been delayed due to thunderstorms in the D.C. area that presented safety concerns for workers.
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The filing said that removal work was expected to be completed by early morning on Saturday.
On Saturday, Matt Floca, executive director and chief operating officer of the performing arts venue, told a federal court that the institution had complied with the order to remove Trump's name from the facade. In a filing, Floca said the board of trustees and the center had removed “all physical signage on the Kennedy Center building and grounds, including the front portico, that purports to rename the Kennedy Center after President Trump.”
A tarp hung over the scaffolding constructed for workers to perform that task. It was unclear when the tarp might be removed to reveal the original lettering.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email late Friday night for comment.
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On Friday, a federal judge rejected efforts to delay an order issued last month, leaving the Kennedy Center with little time to comply, according to the Associated Press. The ruling centers on the legal authority governing the nationally recognized arts institution and whether its leadership could alter its name without congressional approval.
The legal wrangling has drawn national attention because of the Kennedy Center’s status as a memorial to former President John F. Kennedy, the iconic Democrat who was assassinated on November 22, 1963, during his first term in the White House.
The court previously determined that changes to the institution’s name fall under congressional authority rather than the discretion of the board. Efforts by Kennedy Center officials to block or postpone the order were unsuccessful, allowing the ruling to remain in effect as the deadline approached.
In a lengthy post after last month's ruling to remove his name and block plans to close the venue for renovations, Trump said in part, "based on the fact that the Radical Left Democrats care more about opposing your favorite President, ME, than saving a dying Performing Arts Center, almost all of which lose large amounts of money throughout the Country, we are going to be working with Congress to transfer this failing Institution back to them so they can make a determination as to what to do with it."
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The dispute over Trump’s name on the Kennedy Center stems from a broader legal fight about the arts institution's governance and who has authority over its identity. The center was established by Congress and in 1964 became a national memorial to Kennedy, with its name and core mission set by federal statute.
Under that framework, courts have found that major changes—such as renaming the building or fundamentally altering its status—require congressional approval rather than action by the center’s board. The controversy escalated after a Trump-appointed board voted to add his name to the center and pursued major renovations that included a temporary closure of the venue, prompting critics to argue the board had exceeded its legal authority.
That tension led to a lawsuit filed by Democratic U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio and an additional suit from preservation advocates, as a federal ruling came down from U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper late last month. Cooper was appointed by former Democratic President Barack Obama.
Cooper found that the board acted unlawfully in attaching Trump’s name to the venue and that its approval of a multiyear closure was based on an “ill-informed and seemingly preordained” decision-making process. The judge ordered the removal of Trump’s name from signage and official materials and blocked the planned shutdown.
Footage shared on social media showed workers assembling scaffolding in front of the building as the deadline loomed, while onlookers could be heard chanting, "Take it down!"
CNN reported early Saturday that Cooper had yet to respond to the request for additional time to comply.
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