Rep. Joyce Beatty has filed an emergency request with a federal court, seeking to block the Kennedy Center from re-inscribing President Donald Trump's name on its building. The move comes after a Trump-aligned board voted earlier this month to add Trump's name to the venue's facade, which had previously been ordered removed by a judge.
The resolution approved by the board stated that the Kennedy Center "would be in financial ruin without President Trump’s unique stature as both an unparalleled fundraiser and world-class developer." The proposed inscription would read: “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.” An additional inscription, “Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund,” would be added if the Trump Kennedy Center Fund reached $100 million. The plaza in front of the center would also be renamed to recognize Trump.
Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center, is leading the effort to prevent Trump from memorializing himself at the venue. Her lawyers, Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky, argue that the board's actions constitute "clear violations" of a previous court order. 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. The institution complied in June, but scaffolding and a tarp remain where the name was previously displayed.
The Kennedy Center has stated it will not attempt to engrave Trump's name on the building before Sept. 8, allowing time for legal proceedings. Lawyers for the Kennedy Center have not committed to removing the scaffolding, claiming it is necessary for ongoing "water testing and structural repairs to the roof overhang."
Congress established the performing arts center in 1964 as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy. The founding legislation explicitly prohibits the board of trustees from transforming the center into a memorial for any other individual or from placing another person's name on the building's exterior.