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

[Anchor]

The name of President Trump has disappeared from the Kennedy Center, one of the most iconic cultural and artistic venues in the United States. It has returned to its original name just six months after being changed to the "Trump-Kennedy Center."

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 the removal of President Trump's name.

[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's name was changed to 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 Trump's 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 Trump's name took place overnight.

Some citizens protested, noting that the removal had exceeded the court-mandated deadline and that a screen had been 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, which had been on the building, was removed in the middle of the night.]

The removal process was broadcast live online, but because of 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 being taken down from a vanity project.]

The court also put a stop to plans for a full closure and renovation starting next month. However, due to boycotts by artists who opposed the addition of Trump's 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.