Crowds Demand "Take It Down!"… 'Trump' Name Finally Removed

[Anchor]

The name of President Trump has disappeared from the Kennedy Center, one of America's most iconic cultural and arts venues. Just six months after the center was renamed the "Trump-Kennedy Center," it has reverted to its original name.

Washington correspondent Kim Yongtae reports on the reasons behind this change.

[Reporter]

On Friday night, U.S. time, crowds gathered in front of the Kennedy Center, chanting for President Trump's name to be removed.

[Take it down! Take it down!]

Shortly after taking office, President Trump replaced the members of the Kennedy Center's board of directors and appointed himself as chairman.

Following a board decision, the center was renamed the "Trump-Kennedy Center" last December. However, a court ruled that the authority to change the name lies with Congress and ordered the removal of the Trump name from the building's exterior and website by Friday.

[Mark / Kennedy Center Visitor: I was appalled when Trump's name was added. I am very glad the court intervened. I wanted to see (the removal) for myself.]

The Kennedy Center appealed the decision, but the appeal was dismissed, and the work to remove the Trump name was carried out overnight.

Some citizens protested as the removal process went past the court-mandated deadline and a screen was installed to block the view.

[This is not democracy.]

[Sloan / AP Reporter: It is hard to tell from the outside, but the President's name that had been on the building was removed in the middle of the night.]

The removal process was broadcast live online, but due to the large screen, the actual removal of the letters spelling "Trump" was barely visible.

[Joyce Beatty / U.S. Democratic Representative: That screen is typical Trump behavior. He doesn't want the public to see his name coming off his vanity project.]

The court also put a stop to plans for a full closure and renovation starting next month. However, due to boycotts from artists who opposed the addition of the Trump name, most performances for July have already been canceled.

(Reported by Park Eun-ha | Video by Jung Yong-hwa)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.