Kennedy Center exterior remains covered after Trump’s name is removed

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Abigail Roedersheimer, CNN

(CNN) — Large striped tarps remained on the Kennedy Center’s exterior Sunday, prompting confusion and frustration from some visitors who arrived to the renowned arts venue to see President Donald Trump’s name removed.

Stephen Caken, a New York resident visiting Washington, DC, for an internship, told CNN he was puzzled why the tarp was still up after the president’s name had been removed on Saturday in compliance with a federal judge’s order. “It seems like they’re trying to just kind of take away attention from this whole charade,” Caken said.

Much of the exterior portion of the building where the metal letters marking Trump’s name were installed in December was covered Sunday afternoon, preventing many from viewing what remains. John Mathew Smith, a Maryland resident who made the trip to the Kennedy Center, argued that Trump was “trying to weaken America’s symbols.”

“To me, he’s trying to deface America’s symbols before he starts finishing defacing the country itself,” Smith said.

Tim Terpstra, a Washington resident who lives nearby, arrived at the center for the second time this weekend, hoping that the tarps had been removed. “It would be nice to be able to see to make sure that it is down, and no vestiges of what was up there still remain,” he said.

CNN has reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment about why the tarp is still up.

The removal occurred after an appeals court declined to pause a ruling from US District Judge Christopher Cooper that found the venue acted unlawfully when it added Trump’s name to the building, part of the president’s effort to remake the nation’s capital. The installation of Trump’s name to the building, which was named for assassinated President John F. Kennedy, struck a deep symbolic chord among residents who’ve cherished the center, which has long served as a cultural hub in the deep-blue city.

The center took steps last week to reverse the change in some places but kept the president’s name on the building as it sought to stave off compliance with Cooper’s ruling.

On Friday, crowds had gathered to stake out the removal as crews began to erect scaffolding in front of the venue’s facade. Some protestors shouted chants of “Take it down,” and at one point, called the workers “heroes.” A little after 3 a.m. Saturday, workers appeared to be removing letters, according to video shot through a small opening in the scaffolding.

Legal fight to continue

While the Kennedy Center’s appeal is expected to play out in coming weeks, the legal fight dates back to December, when Trump’s handpicked board of trustees added his name, leading to a wave of artists pulling out of performances.

Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and an ex-officio trustee of the board, quickly launched a legal challenge against the name change. On Saturday, Beatty posted a celebratory video on social media of herself doing a dance popularized by Trump to “YMCA” by The Village People.

In Trump’s second term, the venue has continue to served as a vehicle for him to elevate work that aligns with his cultural preferences. He hosted the Kennedy Center Honors in December and the center hosted the premiere of first lady Melania Trump’s documentary. And last week, the center hosted the final round of Trump’s national civics contest for high school students.

Trump’s efforts to reshape Washington continue

In his effort to reshape Washington, DC, Trump has also paved over the White House Rose Garden to create a Mar-a-Lago-esque patio, demolished the East Wing to make room for a massive ballroom, and changed the color of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. He’s also launched efforts to build a golf course, construct the tallest arch in the world on a traffic circle across from Arlington National Cemetery and put a sculpture garden along the Potomac River.

Meanwhile, some efforts have focused more on ideology than aesthetics: White House officials have mounted an ongoing review of the Smithsonian Institution in an effort to align the organization with the president’s views on American history and culture. In Washington, his administration has also reinstalled a controversial Confederate monument and at the memorial of George Mason, a founding father, the administration has removed references to the fact that he “paradoxically” owned slaves despite being a champion of “individual rights.”

CNN’s Devan Cole, Betsy Klein and Kaanita Iyer contributed to this report.

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