'A Literal Coverup': What Is the Kennedy Center Hiding Behind Those Tarps?

[dalton99a]

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/19/us/politics/kennedy-center-trump.html

‘A Literal Coverup’: What Is the Kennedy Center Hiding Behind Those Tarps?
The arts center says it pulled President Trump’s name from the building front. But the result remains hidden by tarps, prompting questions and speculation.
By Elizabeth Williamson
June 19, 2026

...

Peering behind the tarps is impossible because they now lie tight against the building’s front.

So when will the tarps come down?

A Kennedy Center spokeswoman, Roma Daravi, emailed a terse response:

“The scaffolding and tarp will remain up as crews address maintenance needs of the marble and soffit panels. Best, Public Relations.”

“Donald Trump is embarrassed,” Representative Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat, said in a statement. An ex officio Kennedy Center board member, Ms. Beatty had sued to block the president’s takeover of the center, including the name change. “He lost in court, his name came down, and now he is trying to hide the result from the public.”

“A literal coverup, to add to all the others,” Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, wrote on social media.

“How vain can one man be? It’s petty. It’s absurd,” Representative Mike Levin, Democrat of California, chimed in on social media, calling the edit of Mr. Trump’s name “a huge win.”

...

[MineralMan]

1. It Must Have Been the Annual Antifa Convention.

Every member of the organization was there when they raided that abandoned church.

[Ocelot II]

2. I'd bet that there's a whole lot of damage to that wall.

Holes where the letters were attached and then removed, and possibly cracks in the marble from all that chipping and banging to get the letters off ("maintenance needs of the marble and soffit panels," my ass). While they figure out how to repair the mess without making it worse they don't want to provide us with yet another metaphor for all the damage Trump does to everything.

[karynnj]

5. That would be my bet too

I don't think the Trump team was all that careful putting the letters up. Their goal was just to do it quickly before they could be stopped.

Not to mention, I'm not sure there is a way to put the letters up intending them to stay where they are easily removed without damage.

[MagickMuffin]

3. Turn it into an TrumpEpstein movie theater

Project a montage of pedo pictures.

[kentuck]

4. When is that ugly tarp coming down?

Should be asked at every news conference.

[Sneederbunk]

6. Would be surprised if he didn't remove JFK's name too.

[Rebl2]

7. Probably

did remove JFK’s name out of spite. Trump’s a angry, bitter, old man.