Kennedy Center demolition will be an ‘event’ unless Trump’s name is added, Lutnick says during court hearing | Today’s news
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Thursday (local time) that the demolition of the Kennedy Center will be an “event” if President Donald Trump is unable to renovate the cultural center. However, he dismissed the idea that such a move was likely to happen soon.
Speaking to reporters outside the court, the Commerce Secretary said: “Bad things happen, but they’re not going to happen on Thursday,” adding: “Nobody’s saying it’s happening on Thursday. It’s just an eventuality, but it’s not going to happen,” CNN reported.
He went on to say, “I mean, this is a plaque that classically captures the greatest fundraiser and greatest builder of all time by putting his name on it and saying, ‘OK, OK, you wanted your name. Here it is. Now go for it,'” added Lutnick. “And that’s the board’s decision.
Read also | Kennedy Center board votes to add Trump’s name despite ruling
Lutnick made the remarks before federal judge Christopher Cooper questioned the cultural center’s plans to add Trump’s name back to the building in the coming weeks, expressing frustration that it could happen before he decides whether it’s legal.
Federal judge questions Trump’s move to add name
On Thursday, Cooper, who was hearing a lawsuit from Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and ex officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, questioned the board’s decision to add the name of the US president. During the roughly two-hour hearing, Cooper questioned and asked questions of a Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyer as he defended the Kennedy Center board’s decision to add Trump’s name alongside that of the 35th president of the United States on the facade of the building and other parts of the property on which the building stands.
Cooper, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, did not immediately rule. He asked a Justice Department lawyer seeking an explanation as to why the center plans to move forward with its plans to add Trump’s name to the building as early as Sept. 8.
He described the date as arbitrary, adding that if the cultural center doesn’t change course on its timeline, he may have to issue a temporary injunction to prevent the institution from continuing to add Trump’s name while the legal battle continues.
The hearing came shortly after Lutnick said the center’s physical future would be uncertain unless Trump’s name was attached.
Read also | Kennedy Center Must Pay Musician $250,000 In Trump Name Spat
DOJ supports adding Trump’s name
Thursday’s hearing came two days after Brantley Mayers, the top official in the Justice Department’s civilian division, argued in a court filing that the Kennedy Center could face demolition if Trump’s name is not attached to it. The Justice Department described the center as “dilapidated” and “dilapidated,” arguing that donor funding for renovations would collapse without Trump’s name on the building.
The court filing said, “Without these efforts, the center will continue to deteriorate into a dangerous, dilapidated structure that will have to be demolished, with the determination to proceed with what to build on the site, such as a large outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River that some have proposed for many years,” adding, “Such a simple replacement for Keny John and Fal would be more adequate, but more economical to build, operate and maintain.”
Mayers also warned that blocking Trump’s name and proposed renovations could hamper her finances. He said, “An order that blocks the board from properly recognizing President Trump will cause donors to flee, funding to dry up, and structural rehabilitation to stall. There simply won’t be the expertise or funding needed to rebuild and renovate this decimated structure.”
Read also | DOJ supports Trump’s addition of Kennedy Center name, otherwise warns of demolition
The development comes nearly two weeks after the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees voted again with Trump to add the US president’s name, despite Cooper halting an initial attempt to place “Donald J. Trump” on the building’s facade in May after Beatty filed a lawsuit challenging the move. She argued that the board acted illegally because renaming the cultural center requires an act of Congress.
