Trump's name quietly removed in the middle of the night
The name of Donald Trump on the Kennedy Center in Washington was removed from the building in a pre-dawn operation following a court ruling.
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In the United States, President Donald Trump's name was secretly removed from the Kennedy Center, the famous performing arts center located in the capital, Washington. This development occurred following a federal judge's ruling that a name change at the center would only be possible with Congressional approval.
In Washington, which spent last night under a storm, the Department of Justice had requested an additional 12 hours from the court, arguing that the deadline set for 11:59 p.m. on Saturday would not be sufficient due to weather conditions. However, shortly after, activity began at the building around 1:20 a.m., and workers quickly erected scaffolding to remove the letters bearing Trump's name in an operation that took approximately 30 minutes. The operation was reported to have been completed around 3:10 a.m.
The name removal process began about six months ago when the Kennedy Center administration decided to rename the center during Trump's presidency. However, Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty found the Department of Justice's request for an extension "unacceptable" and characterized it as part of the Trump administration's "habit of not complying with the law."
On May 29, Federal Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the center's name could not be changed without Congressional approval. Although the government, which opposed this, appealed the decision, the federal appeals court rejected the government's requests.
The cultural center, which opened in 1971 to honor the memory of the assassinated President John F. Kennedy, had recently come to the fore with a board of directors strengthened by Donald Trump's allies. Trump had also announced this year that he would launch a major renovation project at the center that would last for two years.
White House and Kennedy Center officials chose not to make any statement regarding the development. It is known that Trump continues to make radical changes in Washington's iconic buildings and the city center with new projects.