I spent much of last night outside the Kennedy Centre - a legendary centre for the performing arts in Washington DC - which Trump bafflingly slapped his name on. Here's how we got here and what happens next.
The Backstory
One of the first things Donald Trump did when he took office the second time was to mount a coup to take over the Kennedy Centre, installing himself as chairman and sacking almost all of the board that ran it. He set about remaking the place in his own image, doing a spot of painting here and there, rewriting the events list to make it less classical, opera and theatre and more basic musicals and country rock. Then, in one of the most baffling moves he's ever made, he slapped his name on it. He added his own name to a memorial to someone else. Just bizarre.
The Backlash and Legal Ruling
There was a huge backlash to the changes he made, so he threw a strop and announced he was shutting the place down for a couple of years to gut it and rebuild it. Two weeks ago, a federal judge ruled that the name of a presidential memorial can only be changed by an act of congress, not just at the whims of the president. The judge also ruled that the administration can't just shut the place down. Today is the deadline for Trump's name to be taken off the building.
Appeals and Injunctions
Trump's lawyers lodged an appeal, and this morning a motion went before the judge to pause the removal while the appeal was heard. They argued that if they win the appeal, loads of money would be wasted putting the name back up again. The judge said no. Get it down. But it didn't even end there. This afternoon, after the scaffolding was half up, Trump filed another motion to the appeal court, asking for an injunction to keep his name where it is. He really, really wants his name on the wall of this theatre and concert hall. The appeal court said no. Get it down.
The Night of Removal
Then there was a thunderstorm. Then there was a legit double rainbow. And finally, at about 8.30pm, the workmen got back to work. A lot of people turned up - some of them waiting all day - and it has been a hot, hot day - waiting to see Trump's name taken off the wall. Some of them are patrons of the arts. Some used to work here and don't love what he's done to the place. But a lot of them are just regular people. They turned up and waited for hours - cheering the workmen on, waiting just to see the first letter of his name taken down from this wall - where it was placed so cruelly, so inexplicably a few months ago. Because it's a win. A little win. Sanity was restored, if only for a moment, and that's in short supply round these parts.
