Trump’s bid to put his name on Kennedy Center blocked again by federal judge; ‘Trump Plaza’ plan also halted

US District Judge ordered the center to temporarily halt its latest proposal to put Trump’s name on the memorial to former President John F. Kennedy. Cooper also barred the center’s board from moving ahead with plans to rename the campus the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”

A US federal judge on Tuesday (September 15) again blocked the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts from adding President Donald Trump’s name to the iconic Washington building, dealing a fresh setback to Trump’s efforts to reshape the cultural institution.

US District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered the center to temporarily halt its latest proposal to put Trump’s name on the memorial to former President John F. Kennedy. Cooper also barred the center’s board from moving ahead with plans to rename the campus the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”

Judge says Congress must approve Kennedy Center memorial changes

“Simply put, defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing,” Cooper wrote in an order issued shortly before the center’s board was due to vote on whether to close the venue for two years for repairs and renovations.

The Kennedy Center board, largely made up of Trump appointees and with Trump serving as its president, had argued that adding his name would recognise his efforts to preserve the institution.

“The Board understands that without such appropriate recognition it is unlikely that President Trump will provide the fundamental oversight of the renovation of the main building and lead the fiscal rescue of the Center,” the board said in a draft resolution ahead of the meeting.

Trump’s Kennedy Center makeover faces legal challenge

Trump’s push to remake the Kennedy Center forms part of a broader effort to leave his cultural and architectural imprint on Washington.

His plans have included a large ballroom at the White House, replacing the East Wing that he ordered demolished, a renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and a planned “triumphal arch” near the nation’s main cemetery honouring US war dead.

Cooper had previously ordered the Kennedy Center in May to remove Trump’s name after the center altered its marble facade in December to read: “The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

Workers removed Trump’s name from the building in June, leaving the exterior covered by scaffolding and a white tarpaulin.

Democratic lawmaker challenges name change

Tuesday’s ruling came in a lawsuit filed by Democratic US Representative Joyce Beatty, who serves on the Kennedy Center board by virtue of her position in Congress.

The latest order prevents the board from proceeding with the proposed name changes while the legal dispute continues.

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HomeNewsUs NewsTrump’s bid to put his name on Kennedy Center blocked again by federal judge; ‘Trump Plaza’ plan also halted