Photo: ALEX WROBLEWSKI / AFP / Getty Images
Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta, now Trump Name Being Removed from Kennedy Center After Court Ruling a YouTube content creator, faced widespread mockery after he compared the removal of President Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Acosta live-streamed the scene for nearly 11 hours from Friday afternoon into early Saturday morning, calling it a "live watch party" on The Jim Acosta Show.
During his stream, Acosta remarked, "This is very much like watching the Berlin Wall coming down," drawing immediate criticism for the comparison. As reported by Fox News, social media users quickly mocked Acosta’s statement and marathon coverage, with one X user commenting, "The Berlin Wall famously came down to a crowd of one guy talking to himself and not throngs of elated prisoners. Jim Acosta is wild."
The Kennedy Center’s board voted in December 2025 to temporarily rename the performing arts complex as the "Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts." This decision drew backlash and led to a legal challenge by a Democratic congresswoman. Last week, a federal judge ordered that the original name, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, be restored, prompting workers to remove President Trump’s name from the building overnight.
Acosta missed the removal live, having left the scene before workers began taking down the letters. His producer alerted him to the activity, and Acosta returned to report on the late-night operation. Acosta criticized the use of a tarp to obscure the process, stating, "They did this at three in the morning, and to make it—the icing on the cake, the chef's kiss in all of this for Donald Trump—is that they had to put up a giant white tarp to shield Trump and his feelings from the humiliation."
His coverage and comments, including referring to President Trump as acting "like a small child," sparked a viral wave of ridicule online, with many calling his Berlin Wall comparison exaggerated and out of touch.
The Kennedy Center is now officially restored to its original name.