Letters from an American - A Trump Stunt

Episode Date: June 14, 2026

June 13, 2026The head of the Kennedy Center certified to the court that the Center and its board have complied with the order to remove Trump’s name from the building,  They have not removed the tarp installed over the Center's portico, The Kennedy Center spokesperson said that the board was evaluating legal options, UFC fighters held a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial in advance of the cage fight planned for the White House on Trump’s birthday, The fighters were given the US military’s highest ceremonial formation as they walked down the steps of the Memorial, Stunts were performed on the South Lawn of the White House, Trump posted multiple images of himself on social media, The UFC fighters will enter the ring from the Oval Office and the whole thing will be carried live - for a fee. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

June 13, 26. Before noon on Saturday, June 13th, Charles M. Floka, whom Trump installed at the head of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, certified to the court that, the center and its board have complied with the court's order. They had, he wrote, removed all physical signage on the Kennedy Center buildings and grounds, including the front portico that purports to rename the Kennedy Center after President Trump or any other individual besides President Kennedy, updated the website, removed references to Trump from letterhead, promotional materials, and so on, and withdrawn any trademark application officially referring to the Kennedy Center as the Trump Kennedy Center, or any similar formulation. What they did not do was take down the tarp workers installed last night around the scaffolding they erected yesterday, hiding the portico wall. Through a crack between the tarp and the wall, photographers caught a few images of letters coming down shortly after,

3 o'clock a.m. Cliff Owen of the Associated Press got an iconic shot of a worker loosening the pee from the wall, but so far the public has not seen the restored facade. The portico remained shrouded all day. In a statement, Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Der Ravi said that the center was fully compliant with the court's directive and that the board was evaluating legal options. Tonight, workers were back at the Kennedy Center, where they created passageways in the tarp to make the center's doors accessible while keeping the wall where Trump had put his name, covered. Last night, while workers were putting up scaffolding at the Kennedy Center, Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC, fighters held a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial in advance of the UFC cage matches to be held at the White House on Trump's 80s. birthday on Sunday. Trump sent the United States Army Herald Trumpets, the U.S. Army Ensemble chiefly responsible for playing the entrance and exit fanfares for the President of the United

States to open the event. The fighters walked from Lincoln's statue down the steps of the memorial through the Armed Forces Full Honor Corden, a pathway formed between two groups made up of 16 service members in dress uniforms. This is the U.S. military's highest ceremonial formation, usually reserved for heads of state, foreign dignitaries, senior officials, and funerals for military heroes. This morning, the way in for the UFC fights at the White House also took place at the Lincoln Memorial. Heavyweight fighter Josh Hokit seemed to pretend to throw up, dribbling colored liquid from his mouth. So what? Maybe I was drinking last night, Hokit told the media there. Who wouldn't be? I've got a giant man who wants to knock me out,

he said, referring to his scheduled opponent, Derek Lewis, whom Alex Paddle of Yahoo Sports identifies as Trump's favorite fighter. He has the most knockouts and you, UFC history. Today's stunt performer Travis Pastrana performed a backflip on his dirt bike over the UFC Octagon fight arena on the south lawn of the White House. Other riders performed stunts as well. They were filmed on their bikes flying across the facade of the White House. On the eve of his 80th birthday, the president posted an image of the Obama Presidential Center as a garbage cans surrounded by a homeless encampment. Then he posted an image of himself leaving his trial in Manhattan criminal court in 2024 when a jury found him guilty of 34 felony counts. Under the

caption, Only Trump. Then he posted an image from 2018 of himself walking with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Then he posted a picture of himself speaking at a lectern in front of Air Force One while he was campaigning for re-election in August 2020. Then he posted an AI image of himself on a ship, looking out at battleships from different arrows, including a wooden sailing vessel, flying the American flag, with fighter jets in formation overhead, the back of his jacket is emblazoned with commander in ship. chief, and the caption reads, You're getting discombobulated. Then he posted an image of himself on the cover of Fortune magazine from December 8, 1986.

And then he posted a black and white image of himself as a younger man in the same era, looking pensive, seated in a chair on an ice rink, with the caption, years ago, after saving the woman's skating rink

in Central Park, long before I fixed the reflecting pool and everything else in Washington, D.C., including, most importantly, crime, President Donald J. Trump. Tomorrow night, the fighters will enter the ring from the Oval Office. The fight will be carried live on Paramount Plus for a fee of $8.99 and up. Letters from an American was written and read by Heather Cox Richardson. It was produced at Soundscape Productions, Dead of Massachusetts. Recorded with music composed by Michael Moss.