Kennedy Center board votes to inscribe Trump’s name on building – again

The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted on Aug 13 to add an inscription bearing President Donald Trump’s name to the building’s exterior, according to Democratic US Representative Joyce Beatty, a move that could set up a clash with a federal judge who previously ordered his name removed from the facade.

“In its meeting today, the board voted to change the front of the building’s facade to read ‘The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump,’ and renamed the physical site ‘the President Donald J. Trump Plaza,’” said Beatty, an ex-officio member on the centre’s board.

A second source with knowledge of the situation confirmed the decision.

The New York Times, citing a resolution, reported earlier on Aug 13 “that the centre desires to recognise and honour President Trump’s existential and unprecedented contributions to the survival of the centre by all legal means.”

The board - dominated by Trump loyalists - also voted to close the Kennedy Center for two years, according to Beatty, who sued the Trump administration and the centre over what she called an unlawful name change and the planned closure.

The Trump administration in December added Trump’s name to the facade of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. But in May a judge ordered the removal of Trump’s name, ruling that the iconic Washington venue cannot be renamed without an act of Congress.

A federal appeals court in July denied the administration’s bid to keep Trump’s name on the building while it pursues court action to restore it. Workers stripped Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center in June.

The Trump administration argued that removing Trump’s name would hurt fundraising and worsen the centre’s finances. The appeals court said those claims were not supported by specific facts or evidence. REUTERS