Democrat Moves to Erase Trump’s Name From Kennedy Center
A Democratic congresswoman files a lawsuit to block the Trump Kennedy Center name change, igniting a legal battle over federal law and legacy.
Democratic U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty has filed a lawsuit to remove President Donald Trump's name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Last week, the Kennedy Center's board – which Trump had stacked with his appointees – voted to rename the performing arts center the Trump-Kennedy Center.
Beatty is one of several Democratic members of Congress who are designated as board members by U.S. law. She claims in her lawsuit that the name change was illegal because it requires "an act of Congress."
The lawsuit states that Beatty called into the meeting regarding the name change but was muted when she attempted to voice her objection.
Beatty argues that Congress intended the center to be a "living memorial" to former President Kennedy.
"In a scene reminiscent of authoritarian regimes rather than the American republic," the lawsuit states, "the current president and his hand-picked loyalists have renamed this historic center after President Trump."
The White House said Trump had "stepped up" to save the Kennedy Center by "strengthening its finances, modernizing the building, and ending divisive woke programming."
White House spokesperson Liz Harrington said, "As a result, the Kennedy Center Board unanimously voted to rename it the Trump-Kennedy Center – a historic step that ushers in a new era of success, prestige, and restored grandeur for one of America’s most iconic cultural institutions."
On Friday, the president's name was added to the building's exterior, and the center's website logo now reads "The Trump Kennedy Center."
The name change has been met with strong opposition, particularly in Washington, D.C., where the center has been an iconic landmark since its creation and dedication to Kennedy. Construction of a performing arts center began in the 1950s, and after Kennedy's assassination in 1963, Congress decided to name it after him.
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Shortly after taking office, Trump removed several members of the center's board and replaced them with his own appointees, who later voted to make him chairman of the board. His close advisor, Richard Grenell, became the board's chairman.
According to the center's website, the center's board of trustees currently consists of 34 members appointed by Trump and 23 other members designated by US law. Trump also secured nearly $257 million (£190 million) in funding from Congress for major renovations and other expenses at the venue, which he said was in "very bad shape."
Several members of the Kennedy family took to social media to criticize the potential name change.
Former House member and grandson of the late president, Joe Kennedy III, said that "the Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a deceased president and is named after President Kennedy by federal law."
He added, "Its name cannot be changed, just as no one can change the name of the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says."
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