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DOJ Warns Kennedy Center Could Face Demolition Amid Trump Naming Fight
The legal battle over the Kennedy Center and its association with President Donald Trump has taken a new twist.
In a new filing by the Department of Justice, officials claimed that the center could face possible demolition if renovation work is not carried out as quickly as possible.
The agency also noted that funding for such renovations depends on the Trump administration, which aggrieved former members of the Kennedy Center board have taken steps not to recognize.
Responding to an emergency injunction request seeking to prevent Trump’s name from being added to the Kennedy Center, the DOJ claimed in a new filing that the continued legal battle could potentially lead to the demolition of the structure.
“The Center will deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure that will be required to be taken down,” DOJ wrote.
The injunction request was filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board and one of several individuals who have opposed efforts to add Trump’s name to the center.
The dispute came after board members appointed by Trump passed a resolution earlier this month recognizing his role in spearheading the renovation and funding efforts. The resolution called for the inscription, “Renovated and restored by President Donald J. Trump,” to be placed on the building’s facade, despite a previous ruling already stopping the renaming of the center in Trump’s name.
DOJ Claims Donor Will Flee If Trump Isn’t Recognized
Fighting the injunction request, the DOJ also stated that donors funding the renovation of the center may no longer be willing to contribute if Trump is not recognized.
“Without the prominent recognition of the Trump Administration, and President Trump’s efforts, the donors will not contribute, and the Center will continue to be in a financial and structural death spiral.”
Further defending its stance, the federal agency pointed to Trump’s involvement in getting Congress to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in funding as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill, as well as other privately funded endowment efforts.
They further claimed that such “financial contributions” would dry up and structural rehabilitation would stop if the injunction were granted.
Kennedy Center Attorneys Call Trump Name Fight ‘Deja Vu’
4The board’s plan to recognize Trump for providing funding for the renovation would see his name appear twice on the entryway sign and at a third location on the grounds, even if the center itself is not renamed after him.
According to Beatty’s attorney, allowing this to go through feels like “deja vu all over again,” referencing the earlier court decision to prevent Trump’s name from being added.
They once again emphasized that only Congress has the authority to change the center’s name, given that it serves as a living memorial to the late President John F. Kennedy.
Joyce Beatty Vows To Fight Kennedy Center Board
4Beatty herself specifically stated in a statement that the move by the current center’s board is a “breathtaking act of defiance” and that she will continue to oppose it.
“I will continue to stand up against all unlawful acts—enough is enough,” she said, per NPR. “The Kennedy Center is a sacred space that belongs to the American people.”
She added, “At every turn, Trump’s handpicked Board has flouted court orders and attempted to circumvent the law and the rulings of the judiciary.”
Kennedy Center Renovations Slammed As ‘Shoddy’
4Despite the ongoing legal back-and-forth over Trump’s involvement with the Kennedy Center, some renovation work has already been carried out.
However, several weeks ago, an anonymous whistleblower reported that some of the renovations had been poorly done and could result in additional costs to fix the problems.
This led to a scathing letter from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse to Matt Floca, the center’s executive director appointed by Trump.
“Instead of pursuing renovations tailored to the building’s actual needs, the Center rushed a series of renovations driven by the President’s aesthetic whims and his desire to star in a series of televised events in December,” he wrote.
