US judge urged to rebuff restoring Trump’s name to Kennedy Center

Opponents of a proposed restoration of U.S. President Donald Trump's name at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts urged a federal judge to halt the plan on Thursday. Judge Christopher Cooper previously ordered Trump's name removed in May, but the president's handpicked Kennedy Center board voted this month to reinstate it.

The board's plan would see "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump" appended beneath Trump's name, with the site renamed "President Donald J. Trump Plaza." Government lawyers argued the phrasing would not constitute a renaming but rather acknowledge Trump's renovation efforts. Trump's name was initially added in December as part of his urban renewal initiative, but it was later removed.

Cooper has also temporarily blocked Trump's request to close the Kennedy Center for two years of renovations, which were set to begin in July. The closure plan is viewed by Trump critics as an attempt to appease the administration. Since taking office for a second term, Trump has sought to associate his name with various sites and institutions across the nation and beyond.