Kennedy Center board votes to restore Trump's name on outside of building
The Kennedy Center's board of trustees voted to add President Trump's name to the facade of the performing arts center, more than two months after a judge ordered its removal, according to a Democrat who sits on the center's board.
On Thursday, the board of trustees for the Kennedy Center made a decision to add President Trump's name to the exterior of the performing arts center, according to a statement from Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio. This comes more than two months after a judge had ordered the removal of the president's name. The board, comprised mainly of Trump's allies, opted to append the phrase "Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump" to the end of the center's official name, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Beatty, who called the move a "transparent effort to circumvent the Court's ruling," also expressed her belief that the center should close for a period of two years for renovations. This decision is the second time the board has attempted to place Trump's name on the building, following a ruling by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in May.
Cooper had deemed the original plan to rename the center after both Kennedy and Trump to violate federal law. Beatty's attorneys, Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky, stated that the latest vote is merely a display of disrespect for the courts, as the board previously caved to Trump's demands. The White House spokesperson, Liz Huston, defended the decision, stating that under Trump's leadership, the Kennedy Center is destined to become the world's finest cultural institution.
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