Kennedy Center Board Approves Trump Name on Facade, Faces Legal Challenge
Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted to add President Donald Trump's name to the building's facade.
- The board also approved a two-year closure of the venue for major renovations, a decision that revives a dispute from when Trump reshaped the center's leadership.
- A federal judge had previously ordered Trump's name removed, ruling that only Congress can change the institution's name or authorize major alterations.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts board has voted to inscribe President Donald Trump's name on the building's facade, a move that reignites a contentious dispute over the institution's identity. The board also approved a two-year closure for extensive renovations.
This latest development is a transparent effort to circumvent the Court's ruling, and flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed. I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument.
This decision directly challenges a federal judge's May ruling, which stated that only Congress has the authority to alter the Kennedy Center's name or approve significant modifications. U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio board member, criticized the vote as a transparent attempt to bypass the court's order and disregard congressional statutes. "I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument," Beatty declared.
The controversy stems from Trump's actions after his 2024 election victory, when he appointed a handpicked board that named him chairman. His name was subsequently added to the facade in December as part of a larger plan to overhaul the center, including the planned two-year renovation. This move faced immediate legal challenges, with Judge Christopher Cooper emphasizing that the center's founding legislation clearly designates it for President Kennedy and prohibits unilateral name changes by the board.
the Kennedy Center's organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board's unilateral say-so.
The Kennedy Center dispute is one of several landmarks Trump has sought to reshape during his tenure. Similar obstacles have arisen for his planned White House ballroom and Reflecting Pool renovation, though he still intends to construct a Memorial Arch.
In its meeting today, the board voted to change the front of the building's facade to read 'The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump,' and renamed the physical site 'the President Donald J. Trump Plaza.'
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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