President Donald Trump’s name cannot be affixed to the Kennedy Center without congressional approval, a federal judge in Washington ruled Tuesday for the second time.
U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper wrote in a court order that the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, whose members were fired by Trump and replaced with allies last year, cannot circumvent previous rulings that prevented them from placing the president’s name on the performing arts center.
The board has argued that the Kennedy Center is at the brink of “financial collapse” and cannot proceed with renovations unless it “legally and appropriately” recognizes Trump.
Board members have sought various ways to recognize Trump after Cooper shut down a previous effort to rename the center after the president. Legal challenges to stop Trump’s name from being placed on the storied institution have been led by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio member of the board.
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“Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing,” Cooper wrote. “The board resolution bucks a federal court order and a statute Congress enacted.”
Trump has maintained that the Kennedy Center is in a “virtual state of collapse.” He wrote Tuesday on Truth Social following Cooper’s order that the Board of Trustees believes he is the only person who can “save” the venue.
“A very hostile and conflicted Judge (What else is new?) seems like he won’t let that happen, in which case, unfortunately, the Building is destined to doom,” Trump wrote.
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