Trump took to social media, stating he has directed the U.S. Commerce Department to “make all necessary arrangements with Congress to ensure a full and complete transfer of this Institution,” effectively assigning lawmakers the responsibilities for its operation, maintenance, and management.
How Trump’s directive will be implemented remains unclear. Established by Congress in 1958, the Kennedy Center is overseen by a board of trustees that has been appointed by the president, with Trump having filled it with allies during his second term.
The announcement from Trump came after a judge determined that the performing arts center, which he attempted to rename the “Trump Kennedy Center,” cannot undergo a name change without congressional approval.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington mandated that the Trump administration remove any physical signage featuring Trump’s name and eliminate references to a “Trump Kennedy Center” from official documents within 14 days.
Judge Cooper stated, “The Kennedy Center’s organic statute makes it abundantly clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot adopt any other formal name or public memorial without Congressional action.” He emphasized that only Congress has the authority to change the Center’s name.
Additionally, Cooper’s ruling prevented the Trump administration from proceeding with a planned two-year closure of the Kennedy Center for extensive renovations; however, he noted that essential repairs to the aging structure could still commence.
His decision “does not dictate how the Center should be managed, nor does it endorse any specific operational plan—be it construction, closure, or otherwise—going forward.”
In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump mentioned that significant renovations scheduled to start next month would be unfeasible without a closure, arguing that Cooper’s order to keep the center open poses safety risks.
“I cannot be involved with a situation where danger to the Public is allowed to flourish in plain and open sight,” Trump stated.
The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit initiated by Ohio Democratic U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty, who holds a seat on the Kennedy Center board due to her congressional role. Following the ruling, Beatty remarked that the “Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump.”
PUSH TO REMAKE WASHINGTON
Trump’s initiative to renovate the center forms part of a more extensive effort by the Republican leader to reshape Washington’s monumental core. His vision also includes constructing a 250-foot (76-meter) arch and building a 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the site of the former East Wing of the White House.
These plans are also encountering legal challenges. A federal appeals court has permitted the Trump administration to continue with building the ballroom while it assesses a lawsuit aimed at blocking it.
Beatty filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in December, describing the name change as “a blatant violation of the rule of law” that contradicts the constitutional order.
Her legal team praised Cooper’s ruling, stating, “This is a significant setback for the Trump administration’s corruption,” remarked attorneys Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky.
Cooper indicated that the board retains the option to close the Kennedy Center “should it choose to revisit this decision after prudently balancing its obligations to the Center.”
The Kennedy Center, inaugurated in 1971, serves as a living memorial to the late President John F. Kennedy.
