Photos showing the aftermath of the removal of weeping willow trees outside Washington's Kennedy Center are circulating on social media Tuesday—renewing questions about when and why the trees were cut down. The willows were removed in October 2025 because they posed a safety hazard, a Kennedy Center spokesperson told Newsweek late Tuesday. Kennedy Center Executive Director Matthew Floca testified in federal court earlier this year that most of the weeping willows that were part of the center's original design had been "felled due to decay." Some of the posts resurfacing Tuesday have attributed the removal to President Donald Trump or his administration.
During the same testimony, however, Floca said he and Trump had not specifically discussed the willows or their replacement. "[President Trump and I] haven't specifically talked about the weeping willows or the replacement," Floca said. "I think that a weeping cherry tree would be perfect." Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment and was referred to the Kennedy Center.
In a May 29, 2026, federal court opinion, U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper cited testimony Floca gave during an April 29 hearing in a lawsuit brought by preservation and architecture groups challenging the Kennedy Center's planned renovation.
"Most of the weeping willow trees that were part of the Center's original design have already been felled due to decay, and Floca believes that 'weeping cherry tree[s]' would serve as a 'perfect' replacement," Cooper wrote. Floca, who previously served as the Kennedy Center's vice president of facilities, testified that he and Trump had not specifically discussed the willows or what would replace them. Floca also testified that "going from a weeping willow to a weeping cherry" would not constitute a "material change to the exterior" of the Kennedy Center, though Cooper questioned that assessment given the historical significance of the center's original design features.
The May 29 court opinion, citing Floca's testimony, said most of the willows that were part of the Kennedy Center's original design had been felled because of decay. Other reports have also pointed to the trees' condition. Forbes reported Tuesday that the willows were planted in shallow beds over concrete decks, giving them relatively short lifespans and making them prone to decay and instability.
The outlet reported that one tree had fallen during a storm and others were visibly dying before the October 2025 removal. The trees also came up in a broader legal dispute over changes and planned renovations at the Kennedy Center. Preservation and architecture groups sued over the planned work, seeking to halt it until planning, historic-preservation and environmental reviews and other approvals they argue are required could be completed.
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