Federal court is asked to block Kennedy Center from returning Trump’s name to building

In a bid to prevent the Kennedy Center from memorializing President Donald Trump on its facade, Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat, has made an emergency appeal to a federal court. The Trump-aligned board at the Kennedy Center had recently voted to inscribe Trump's name on the building's exterior, with plans to add another inscription if the Trump Kennedy Center Fund reached $100 million.

The plaza in front of the Kennedy Center would also be renamed to honor Trump. However, the Kennedy Center has stated it would not attempt to engrave Trump's name before September 8, allowing for legal proceedings to unfold. Beatty's lawyers, Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky, argue that the board's actions constitute "clear violations" of a previous court order.

The Trump-aligned board's resolution stated that the Kennedy Center would be in financial ruin without Trump's "unique stature as both an unparalleled fundraiser and world-class developer." Congress designated the performing arts center as a living memorial to Kennedy in 1964, explicitly prohibiting the board of trustees from memorializing any other individual on the building's exterior or making it into a memorial to anyone else.

In May, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the Kennedy Center had illegally added Trump's name to the building and ordered its removal.