Former board members of the United States Institute of Peace filed an emergency plea to a federal court late Thursday to stop the Trump administration from affixing President Donald Trump’s name onto its headquarters.
The emergency motion mirrors the legal battle waged at the Kennedy Center, where Trump allies on the performing arts venue’s board of trustees have argued that recognizing the president is necessary to secure his fundraising prowess. Trump has also doubled down that his administration should be recognized, stirring concerns that the temporarily shuttered Kennedy Center will be demolished unless federal courts allow the inscription of Trump’s name.
In their filing Thursday, the ousted USIP board members said they were filing an emergency motion for “one, narrow reason: to prevent Appellants or those acting on their behalf from carrying out plans to carve President Trump’s name into the façade of the iconic USIP headquarters building.”
The board members said they learned new information that the Trump administration had “taken steps to prepare to carve the President’s name” onto the building, including the submission of a formal work request and the selection of a contractor.
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White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement that USIP was “aptly” renamed after Trump and “will stand as a powerful reminder of what strong leadership can accomplish for global stability.”
“Frivolous litigation to stymie these efforts should be rejected,” Kelly said.
Trump moved to rename the USIP after himself in December amid his administration’s efforts to dismantle the congressionally funded nonprofit. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the change at the time, writing on X that the new signage shows how Trump “will be remembered by history as the President of Peace.”
This article has been updated with a comment from the White House.
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