Legal dispute over Trump’s name on Kennedy Center escalates ahead of court hearing
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Opponents argue President Trump’s plan to rename and potentially demolish the Kennedy Center is unfounded as a federal judge schedules a hearing on the venue’s renovation and naming.
A federal court hearing on August 27 will address President Donald Trump’s effort to have his name reinstated on the Kennedy Center’s façade and his proposal to rename the venue. The dispute follows a judge’s order that removed Trump’s name after a 1964 statute created the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Lawyers for Rep. Joyce Beatty, a board member, described the plan as an “assault on the rule of law” and urged the court to block the proposed changes. They filed an emergency request to prevent the administration from closing the center during renovations.
The Kennedy Center board, which includes several Trump supporters, approved a plan to close the facility for two years while relocating performances such as the National Symphony Orchestra concerts, the Kennedy Center Honors and the Mark Twain Prize. The board estimated a two-year renovation would cost $280 million, compared with $580 million for a four-year schedule.
If Trump’s fundraising reaches $100 million, the façade would bear the title “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,” and the surrounding grounds would be named “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”
Justice Department attorneys warned that without approval of the renovation and naming plan, the building could deteriorate and be replaced by an open-air amphitheater, a proposal that has been discussed for years.