Trump Name Removal from Kennedy Center Delayed by Weather

The removal of President Donald Trump's name from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has been delayed due to inclement weather that may pose a safety risk to workers, the Trump administration said, adding that it expects the work to be completed early on Saturday morning.

A federal judge in Washington denied a request on Friday for a temporary stay of an order to remove Trump's name from the Kennedy Center. US District Court Judge Christopher Cooper said he would not lift the order while a federal appeals court considers his ruling that only Congress can rename the site commemorating former President John F. Kennedy.

Cooper's order required Trump's name to be removed from the building's facade, its website and other materials by 11:59 p.m. Friday.

The Trump administration appealed the order to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which later on Friday also denied the government's request to stay the order.

Lawyers for the administration asked the appeals court to stay the injunction, arguing: "It does not make sense to alter the Center’s name and signage now, only to potentially revert the name again after what should be a successful appeal."

"We are standing by for whatever Trump may try next, but his desperation is only making the spectacle worse for him", said Norm Eisen, co-founder of Democracy Defenders Action, a Democratic-leaning legal advocacy group, and Nathaniel Zelinsky of the Washington Litigation Group.

(reuters, luc)