Donald Trump missed a court-ordered deadline to remove his name from the Kennedy Center, as his legal team blamed severe thunderstorms for delaying the overnight operation.
According to The Mirror US, Trump’s attorneys filed an emergency request to US District Judge Christopher Cooper seeking more time after workers failed to complete the removal process by June 12.
In court filings cited by the outlet, Trump’s lawyers argued that storms in the Washington, DC, area created safety risks for workers carrying out the overnight operation.
“Work was delayed earlier today, June 12, due to thunderstorms, which presented safety concerns to workers completing the compliance task,” the filing reportedly stated.
The legal team also claimed the work would resume during the early hours of June 13. Judge Cooper later approved the extension request.
Court ruled Trump lacked authority to rename building
The delayed removal follows a court decision ordering Trump’s name to be stripped from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after the judge found the president’s unilateral renaming effort violated federal law.
According to the ruling, Congressional approval is required to officially rename the nationally recognized cultural institution.
Workers reportedly spent Friday constructing scaffolding around the building while large tarps covered the signage from public view. However, The Mirror reported that the actual removal process did not begin until after midnight, several hours beyond the court-imposed deadline.
The outlet also cited reports claiming workers temporarily left the site around 3:30 am local time before returning later Saturday morning to complete the project.
Critics question weather explanation
The weather-related explanation became a political flashpoint, with critics questioning why the work was left so close to the deadline if storms were expected.
A correspondent for MeidasTouch News, shared part of the legal filing on X and reportedly argued that it failed to explain why crews waited until the final hours to begin the process. Meanwhile, the outlet’s co-founder Ben Meiselas compared the curtain covering the building to “covering it up like the Epstein Files,” according to The Mirror.
Amanda Carpenter, a writer for the anti-authoritarian organization Protect Democracy, also questioned the explanation, noting that nearby outdoor preparations for Trump’s planned UFC-themed White House event did not appear to be similarly disrupted by weather.
The overnight operation reportedly drew crowds outside the Kennedy Center, with onlookers chanting “shame!” and “take it down!” while workers dismantled the signage.
