Trump’s Name Remains at Kennedy Center Despite Court Ruling

(SeaPRwire) –   On Sunday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum declined to commit to taking President Donald Trump’s name off the Kennedy Center, even though a judge had ordered the removal to happen within two weeks. 

“I’m not certain whether that decision will be appealed, but I believe there’s controversy surrounding the ruling from both perspectives,” Burgum stated during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Dana Bash when queried about the name removal.

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper noted that the 1964 law establishing the Kennedy Center makes it “crystal clear” the institution should bear only President John F. Kennedy’s name. “Congress bestowed the Kennedy Center with its name, and only Congress has the authority to alter it,” the judge wrote.

Last December, the center’s board voted to rename the institution the “Trump Kennedy Center.” The day after the vote, 18 new letters were affixed to the building’s marble exterior to show the full name: “The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” The update was also mirrored on the center’s website and event promotional materials. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the change on social media, explaining it was “due to the incredible work President Trump has done over the past year to save the building.”

In February, Trump announced that after taking on the role of Kennedy Center chairman, he would close the cultural venue starting in July for a roughly two-year renovation initiative. The current voting board members—all appointed by Trump—approved the renovation plans.

Judge Cooper stated in his ruling that the board’s choice to shut down the venue was “ill-informed and apparently pre-determined.” 

Burgum’s noncommittal stance came as Trump criticized the decision and the judge responsible for it on social media over Friday and Saturday. In two long posts on Truth Social that together exceeded 1,300 words, Trump targeted both U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper and his wife, claiming it was “impossible for [him] to receive fair treatment.”

“Judge Cooper and the Radical Left would prefer to let it perish rather than allow President Trump to turn it into something all people can take pride in,” Trump stated Friday evening. 

Without providing any evidence, Trump also asserted in a separate Saturday post that Cooper’s wife, attorney Amy Jeffress, was partially responsible for the ruling. Jeffress is a partner at Hecker Fink, the law firm representing former President Joe Biden in his legal action against the Justice Department. She previously worked as a federal prosecutor and counselor to Attorney General Eric Holder.

Trump alleged the center is ‘rusted’ and ‘bug-infested’

During the CNN interview, Burgum stated that the renovation project initiated by Trump was urgently required, noting that “the building’s structural integrity, along with deterioration in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, demanded extensive repairs.”

“President Trump was ready to step up, secure private funding, and devote his time as a master builder to restore this building. Now, a judge is saying ‘No’,” he told Bash. However, the judge’s decision only temporarily halts the closure and “does not prevent the board from re-evaluating the closure matter in a careful way,” according to the ruling. 

Trump characterized the center—opened in 1971—as “rusted, rotted, and infested with rats and bugs.”

Should the board choose to close the center, Judge Cooper wrote, it must have adequate information to make an “independent” decision, considering “its duty to both maintain and operate a top-tier arts venue” while honoring Kennedy’s memory.

In a subsequent post, Trump stated he had “canceled my involvement with the failing and unsafe Kennedy Center, due to a Highly Conflicted, Crooked Federal Judge.” 

The center has already implemented significant layoffs, with more anticipated, as the board intends to keep only a minimal staff during the two-year closure.

Trump’s assumption of control over the center has been controversial from the beginning. Numerous artists pulled out of performances as the Trump Administration exerted greater influence over the center’s programming—including folk singer Kristy Lee and jazz ensemble the Cookers. The name change prompted Chuck Redd, the long-time host of the Kennedy Center’s annual Christmas Eve jazz show, to cancel the yearly event. Even prior to the name change, Trump’s takeover led the producers of the hit musical Hamilton to cancel their performance at the iconic D.C. venue.

“The Kennedy Center wasn’t founded with this kind of spirit, and we won’t participate in it as long as it’s the Trump Kennedy Center,” the Tony Award-winning creator of Hamilton told The New York Times last year. “We simply won’t be part of it.”