Trump threatens to keep Kennedy Center closed after judge blocks his name from iconic memorial's facade
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump threatens to keep Kennedy Center closed after judge blocks his name from iconic memorial's facade")
Judge blocks Trump's name at Kennedy Center, Trump threatens to halt $257m renovation Photograph: (Combination image: AFP pics)
A court ruling has put Donald Trump’s Kennedy Center plans in fresh trouble. After a judge blocked efforts to add his name to the facade, Trump has now tied the venue’s future renovations to the legal battle.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to keep the Kennedy Center closed indefinitely after a federal judge ruled that his name cannot be added to the Washington arts institution’s facade.
Trump said on Tuesday that the Kennedy Center board, which he hand-picked, had voted "almost unanimously" to shut the venue immediately for emergency renovations. The decision came only hours after US District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the board could not restore Trump’s name to the building without congressional approval.
But Trump said the planned repairs cannot begin unless a higher court overturns the ruling. "If the ruling is a negative one, which it should not be, and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The Kennedy Center said in a statement to AFP that the board’s decision "reflects sound judgment and a clear prioritisation of safety above all else."
Judge blocks Trump's name from Kennedy Center
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Trump took control of the Kennedy Center board shortly after beginning his second term and installed himself as its chairman. The institution was established as a living memorial to former President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963.
The board voted in December to refer to the institution as the "Trump-Kennedy" Center and placed signage bearing Trump’s name on the building. A federal court later ordered the name removed.
Cooper ruled Tuesday that the latest attempt to put Trump’s name back on the facade violated his earlier order. He said the board could not install a memorial to Trump without Congress approving it.
"Simply put," Cooper wrote, the board "cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing."
Renovation, demolition warnings
Trump and his allies on the board have argued that the Kennedy Center building, constructed in the 1960s, has serious structural problems and requires major repairs.
Trump pointed to a recent incident in which a section of the ceiling fell after a storm. His administration has also warned during court proceedings that the building could eventually face demolition if its renovation plans were blocked.
The board has now voted to close the main building for an extensive renovation project. Reuters reported the planned work could cost about $257 million and last up to two years.
Trump has nevertheless linked the renovation to the legal dispute over his name being displayed on the building. Workers removed Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center in June after the court ordered it taken down. The area has since remained covered by scaffolding and tarps.
