An appeals court in Washington delivered a swift rejection Friday night to Donald Trump's emergency bid to keep his name on the Kennedy Center's facade, clearing the way for workers to remove the signage from the nation's premier performing arts venue.
Justice Department lawyers filed the appeal on behalf of Trump and his Kennedy Center board appointees earlier in the day, seeking to halt a federal judge's order to strip the Trump name from the building. US District Judge Christopher Cooper had denied a similar last-minute request just hours before the appeals court decision, setting a Friday evening deadline for compliance.
By nightfall, crews gathered at the marble exterior of what is officially known as the Donald J Trump and the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Onlookers cheered as workers assembled scaffolding and prepared for the removal work, chanting "Take it down" as yellow-vested teams moved into position.
The decision caps a contentious chapter in Trump's second term. Many Washington residents have openly criticized the 2021 decision to add Trump's name to the building, viewing it as narcissistic and contrary to democratic values. One 50-year-old retired government worker told observers the rebranding exemplified authoritarian impulses, saying it represented a pattern of placing the president's name "on everything."
The Kennedy Center naming dispute unfolded against a broader backdrop of Trump administration actions this week. The Justice Department approved a $111 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery despite concerns from media industry figures that consolidation would reduce competition among film studios and potentially unite CBS News with CNN under common ownership.
On the international front, prospects for a US-Iran peace deal appeared increasingly distant Friday as both sides traded conflicting claims about negotiations. Trump distanced himself from earlier suggestions that a preliminary agreement could be signed within days, posting angry social media messages that called Iranian officials "very dishonorable people to deal with."
Trump is also pushing Congress to pass a symbolic resolution nullifying his two impeachments from his first term. While experts note such a move would carry no legal weight under the Constitution, a White House official confirmed the effort as an attempt to claim victory on a longstanding grievance.
The administration suspended federal funding to Los Angeles's homelessness services agency Friday, marking another move in its campaign to rescind California assistance amid Trump's ongoing feud with Democratic leadership in the state.
In other developments, a Virginia federal judge extended a court order blocking Trump's nearly $1.8 billion slush fund, finding the administration's public statements about the fund's termination insufficiently reassuring to lift the injunction.
Author James Rodriguez: "The Kennedy Center decision shows courts are still willing to check executive overreach, even when it involves the president's personal brand."
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