Court filing cites Trump-related photo amid dispute over Kennedy Center closure
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Rep. Joyce Beatty alerted a federal judge to a photo showing President Trump with a placard reading “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED,” part of a legal battle over the center’s temporary shutdown and the president’s request to have his name added to the venue.
Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio, submitted a filing on Thursday to U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper highlighting a new photograph that circulated on social media. The image shows President Donald Trump reading a placard on Air Force One that appears to say “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED," which Beatty’s attorneys argue is evidence of the president’s threat to close the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts if his name is not recognized for renovation efforts.
The filing also references Trump’s remarks to reporters, in which he said the administration should receive recognition for its involvement in the project and warned that without it, “it will end up being ripped down.” Beatty had previously asked the judge to schedule an emergency hearing on what she described as an unlawful closure of the center by its board of trustees, alleging violation of a prior court order.
The Department of Justice responded, stating that the center’s executive director, Matt Floca, temporarily closed the venue for up to seven days to assess “acute risks to public safety” due to structural deterioration. DOJ attorneys noted that the judge’s May injunction does not prohibit a temporary closure and that the board intends to seek dissolution of the preliminary injunction to allow necessary repairs.
Judge Cooper has not yet decided whether to hold the requested hearing. The dispute follows the judge’s earlier rejection of a board proposal to place Trump’s name on the center in recognition of planned renovations. The White House has not commented on the photograph.
Beatty’s lawyers argued that closing the Kennedy Center without the judge’s approval violates the court order and constitutes “an assault on the rule of law,” emphasizing that no individual, including the president, is above the law.