US judge raps Kennedy Center board for adding Trump’s name to building, closing blocks for renovation | Today’s news
A federal judge in Washington, DC, ruled Friday (local time) that US President Donald Trump’s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center, blocking the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations.
District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the Kennedy Center board of trustees’ March 16 vote to close the facility was “ill-informed and seemingly premeditated” regardless of its legal obligations.
Cooper wrote, “Administrators could have judged the propriety of the closure in several prudent ways. This was not one.” He also concluded that the Kennedy Center board “overstepped its legal bounds” by unilaterally adding Trump’s name to the center, adding that Congress had given the Kennedy Center his name and that only Congress had the right to change it.
Read also | Trump announces two-year closure of Kennedy Center starting July 4, 2026
Kennedy Center defends Trump nomination
Kennedy Center Vice President of Public Affairs Roma Daravi said earlier today that the institution is “confident that on appeal the court will uphold the board’s will to recognize President Trump’s historic contribution to our nation’s cultural center.” She said the decision would be “carefully” reviewed.
She went on to say, “While the fact remains – the Center requires urgent and significant restoration – a truth that even the plaintiffs acknowledge,” she added: “With $257 million secured by President Trump and authorized by Congress, the resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing all legal avenues to ensure the restoration of the Trump Kennedy Center as a National Historic Landmark to be enjoyed by all Americans.”
Lawsuits challenge Kennedy Center renovation project
Cooper held a hearing in late April for parallel lawsuits challenging the project. While one was filed by a group of cultural and historic preservation organizations, the other was filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who serves ex officio on the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees. He ruled in favor of Beatty’s application but refused another challenge.
Prosecutors fear Trump and his allies on the board will violate preservation rules meant to preserve the center’s historic structure. In previous statements during court hearings, lawyers for Beatty and the preservation groups raised concerns about the project’s limited scope, pointing to Trump’s statement that it would “completely expose” the building’s steel skeleton. The Ohio Democrat said she was “very concerned that we’re going to see what happened to the East Wing and what happened to the Rose Garden” if the center is closed and renovations are allowed to go unchecked, referring to the major changes Trump has made to the White House since he returned last January.
Read also | Trump’s Kennedy Center move triggers cancellation of 20-year Christmas jazz tradition
Trump sued over Kennedy Center renaming
Last December, Beatty sued Trump for adding his name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, allegedly without any congressional approval. She accused the US president of breaking the law to satisfy his “vanity”. The new sign now says “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
The Department of Justice supports plans to renovate the Kennedy Center
Attorneys for the Department of Justice (DOJ) said the plans to renovate the Kennedy Center were limited in scope but within the board’s authority to implement them without the need for outside approval.
Trump, a Republican, has taken a keen interest in Kennedy Center operations since returning to the White House last year. He installed a carefully selected council that named him chairman. His name was added to the facade of the building, which is considered a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy.
Read also | After signing US dollar bills, Trump names Palm Beach Airport after him
List of things Trump has named after himself
Surprisingly, the Kennedy Center isn’t the only building to be rebranded to include the name of the US president. Here is a list of assets that have been renamed after Trump:
- The US Institute of Peace has now been renamed the Donald J. Trump US Institute of Peace.
2. Trump class battleships
4. Gold coin with Trump in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary.
6. TrumpRx.gov, a self-pay prescription drug website that offers coupons that people can take to the pharmacy to fill their prescriptions.
9. Trump’s picture on the Department of the Interior’s annual ID card
10. Trump’s image on some US passports
11. Palm Beach Airport will be renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport.
On Thursday, The Washington Post reported that the administration is also pushing to put Trump’s portrait on the $250 bill in light of the country’s 250th anniversary. If approved, he would become the first living US president to be featured on the nation’s currency.
Key things
- Congress, not individual councils, has legal authority over the naming of public institutions.
- The ruling highlights the tension between political influence and cultural preservation in American institutions.
- There are concerns about the impact of renovations on the historical integrity of important monuments.
