Lead

A federal judge has ruled that President Donald Trump's name was unlawfully added to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., ordering its removal and blocking the administration's plan to close the venue for renovations. The ruling has set off a series of legal maneuvers, with the Trump administration appealing and workers eventually removing the name from the building's facade.

Coverage Comparison

The appeals court in Washington, D.C., rejected a last-ditch effort by the Kennedy Center's leadership to keep Trump's name on the building, as reported by ABC Australia. Workers were seen erecting scaffolding and beginning to remove the name after the court-ordered deadline, according to the BBC. Al Jazeera reported that Trump announced he would withdraw his leadership from the center after the ruling.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the administration missed the court-mandated deadline to remove Trump's name, with the Department of Justice requesting an extension due to thunderstorms. Democratic U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, who brought the lawsuit, called the request "inexcusable" and part of "a pattern of non-compliance," according to the outlet.

France 24 reported that Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the name was illegally added, and ordered its removal. The South China Morning Post noted that the center was running out of options to keep the name, as a judge rejected a request to pause the deadline.

TASS reported that the Trump administration planned to appeal the ruling and that Trump had announced he would transfer control of the center to Congress. The Hindu reported that the judge also ordered the administration to explain why a tarp was placed over the facade after the name was removed.

Key Claims

  • Federal Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in late May that the Kennedy Center board "overstepped its statutory bounds" by adding Trump's name, stating that "Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it." He ordered the removal of Trump's name from the building's facade and official materials within 14 days.
  • The judge also blocked the administration's plan to close the center for two years of renovations, describing the board's vote to close as "ill-informed and seemingly preordained."
  • The Trump administration appealed the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which rejected a request to pause the removal order.
  • Workers began removing Trump's name from the facade, with some onlookers chanting "take it down," as reported by multiple sources.
  • The administration missed the court-ordered deadline, citing thunderstorms as the reason for the delay, and requested an extension until noon on Saturday.
  • Representative Joyce Beatty called the extension request "inexcusable" and part of "a pattern of non-compliance."
  • Trump announced he would transfer control of the Kennedy Center to Congress, saying he instructed the Department of Commerce to make arrangements for a "full and complete transfer."
  • A federal judge later ordered the administration to explain by July 31 why a tarp and scaffolding remained over the facade, as reported by The Hindu.

Perspectives

Trump Administration: The administration argued that the renaming was a legitimate recognition of Trump's contributions and that the center required urgent renovations. In a statement, Vice President of Public Relations Roma Daravi said the board was confident the appeal would uphold its will. Trump himself criticized the judge and said he would transfer the center to Congress, stating, "Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else and bring this Institution back... I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey."

Court: Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the board violated the center's organic statute by renaming it without congressional approval. He wrote that the answer to whether the center could be renamed absent congressional authorization "is no," and that "nor can any other individual be memorialised on the front portico of the building."

Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty: As the plaintiff in the lawsuit, Beatty called the administration's request for an extension "inexcusable" and part of "a pattern of non-compliance." Her lawyers later described the tarp covering the facade as an "act of petty defiance" and an effort to frustrate the restoration of the status quo.