Rep. Beatty Moves to Defend Kennedy Center from Trump’s Name Grab
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Rep. Joyce Beatty has urgently asked a federal judge to block the Kennedy Center board’s undemocratic scheme to plaster Donald Trump’s name on the iconic arts venue, emphasizing that only Congress can alter its name, which honors President John F. Kennedy.
U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) filed an emergency motion late Thursday, taking a stand against the Kennedy Center board’s latest attempt to rewrite history by forcing former President Donald J. Trump’s name onto three prominent locations at the revered arts complex and renaming its grounds as 'President Donald J. Trump Plaza.'
Beatty’s attorneys forcefully argued that the board’s actions are illegal and a blatant affront to the Congressional mandate that the center remain a memorial to President John F. Kennedy, a leader who championed the arts and progressive values. They told Judge Christopher Cooper that the board’s plan would disgracefully put Trump’s name on the front portico twice and add a third sign on the grounds, effectively erasing Kennedy’s legacy in favor of a president whose tenure was marked by division and scandal.
The board’s proposed signage would read: 'The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump, Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund,' with the final line cynically contingent on a $100 million donation target, highlighting the transactional nature of the proposal.
In May, Judge Cooper had already ruled that a previous attempt to rename the institution as the Trump-Kennedy Center violated the center’s organic statute, which reserves naming authority to Congress. Yet, the board, undeterred by legal precedent or public outrage, approved its latest plan on Aug. 13 and set an arbitrary deadline of Sept. 8 to impose Trump’s name, a move Beatty’s team rightly condemned as capricious and disrespectful.
'The board's repeated efforts to break the law are a breathtaking act of defiance, but I will continue to stand up against all unlawful acts—enough is enough. The Kennedy Center is a sacred space that belongs to the American people,' Beatty said in an emailed statement, underscoring the need to protect public institutions from right-wing overreach.
The Kennedy Center did not respond to a request for comment.