Trump name removal at Kennedy Center draws growing attention after last-minute court loss

On Thursday, the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees made a sudden decision to appeal U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper’s order to remove Trump’s name from the Washington, D.C. cultural center’s exterior by Friday, June 12. Cooper said his reasoning for the ruling was that the name change did not go through the proper legal processes, stating that “Congress gave the center its name, and only Congress can change it.”

Then, with less than 36 hours until the deadline to remove Trump’s name, the center’s trustees sought a last-minute stay (a court order that pauses the original until an appeal is resolved), according to a report by The Washington Post. However, Cooper denied the request and moved forward with the order on Friday.

Related: Kennedy Center vice president steps down 12 days after appointment

Before the initial ruling, Kennedy Center’s executive director, Matt Floca, stated in a court filing that Trump’s name was now central to its fundraising efforts, and that removing it would cause “irreparable harm” and make maintaining the center “financially nonviable.” Floca added that the building’s current state included failing roof panels and water seeping into electrical vaults, and that staying open during construction would be “irresponsible.”

Late Thursday afternoon, the center’s Instagram account was still branded “The Trump Kennedy Center,” and the president’s name remained emblazoned across the building’s facade.

Shortly after the Cooper’s initial ruling, Trump lashed out at the judge and threatened to abandon any involvement with the Kennedy Center. He then took to social media to explain the rationale for the renovations and stated that he’d instructed the Commerce Department to arrange a “full and complete transfer” of the institution to Congress. This confused lawmakers and others because federal law mandates that the center be managed by its board of trustees.

Related: Canceled shows and record lows: How Trump is killing the Kennedy Center

In another perplexing twist, Trump then seemed to backtrack on this today when asked by the press how he wanted to be involved with the center. “The same way it is,” he replied. “I’m the chairman, so we’ll just keep it going.”

As of today, the center’s social media accounts have reverted to branding as “The Kennedy Center” without Trump’s name, and the Washington NBC affiliate WRC reported that crews were arriving to put up scaffolding to apparently remove it from the building’s exterior.

Thousands of viewers tuned in for a live stream of the name removal.

Watch the live stream below.

- YouTube www.youtube.com