A US judge ruled on May 29 that the famous Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was illegally renamed after Donald Trump and must remove his name from its facade. But a video circulating online showing a worker tearing up a letter is a fake, likely generated by artificial intelligence. An AFP reporter visited the Washington Cultural Center on June 1 and confirmed that the president’s name had not been removed from the exterior.
“The backlash has begun. A judge rules that Trump’s name must be removed from the Kennedy Center,” the May 30, 2026 Instagram post said.
Instagram screenshot taken on June 1, 2026 (with AI logo added by AFP)
The short video, which was also shared on Facebook, Threads and TikTok, appears to show employees stripping the words “Donald J. Trump” from the front of the performing arts center, which is designated as a living memorial to assassinated President John F. Kennedy.
After returning to the White House in 2025, Trump purged the center’s board of directors, installed himself as chairman, and piled up the bodies with his supporters who voted to rename the facility the Trump Kennedy Center. His name was soon plastered in large letters above Kennedy on the front.
The purchase angered the Kennedy family and canceled performances, but it is one of several examples of Trump breaking with American political tradition and stamping his name and image on public life.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled on May 29 that the board “exceeded the bounds of the statute” by unilaterally changing the center’s name, writing that only Congress has the right to change the name. In response to the court’s opinion, President Trump announced that he would transfer control of the agency to Congress (see archive here).
Cooper gave the government 14 days to remove Trump’s name from the facade and any materials associated with the venue. He also put on hold plans announced by the president to close the center for two years of renovations.
However, as of June 1, the letter spelling out “Donald J. Trump” had not been deleted, an AFP reporter in Washington confirmed.
AFP footage taken on June 1 shows the letter still intact (archived here).
Ann Lebreton
(Anne Lebreton)
Meanwhile, the video circulating online appears to be from digital creator “Cabra Cabaret” who “uses AI images and videos to comment on our wonderfully twisted world,” according to the website and account profiles on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok (archived here).
User posts on TikTok include a disclaimer that says, “The creator has labeled them as AI-generated.”
TikTok screenshot taken on June 1, 2026
TikTok screenshot taken on June 1, 2026. Added AI logo and includes elements outlined by AFP
AFP contacted the author for comment but did not receive a response.
Hive Moderation, an AI detection tool, rated the clip as “may contain AI-generated or deepfake content.” Another deepfake detector in the InVid-WeVerify toolkit also found some evidence of AI-manipulated faces in the video.
AFP also identified several irregularities in the footage that were indicative of AI, such as onlookers’ faces becoming blurred and the size of the crowd suddenly shrinking.
The letters on the building at one point replace the “o” in “Donald” with an “r.” In another example, “eedy” is written instead of “Kennedy.”
Instagram screenshot taken on June 1, 2026. Added AI logo and includes elements outlined by AFP
Asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” on May 31 whether Trump’s name would be removed within the required timeframe, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said it was a “court order,” but added, “I don’t know if it will be appealed.” (Archived here)
Roma Daravi, vice president of communications for the performing arts center, also told CNN that the board is “confident that the court will uphold the Trump approval vote” on appeal (archived here).
Learn more about AFP’s fact-checking on AI.
