The Kennedy Center ordered employees to remove President Donald Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts building and strip the president’s name from its website, signs, brochures and other material immediately, according to an internal memo obtained by the Washington Post.
The move comes days after a federal judge ruled that neither the president nor the Kennedy Center board of trustees has the authority to add his name to the Kennedy Center. The judge said only Congress had the authority to tack Trump’s name onto the center, which was initially named for former President John F. Kennedy.
In the memo, the Kennedy Center said they had until June 12 to remove Trump’s name from all references and gave staff further guidance on responsibility and deadlines, the Post reported.
The Kennedy Center had been at the center of a legal battle between the administration and Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board.
Last year, Trump removed members of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees and replaced them with loyalists, who promptly elected him board chair. In December, the board voted to rename the center the Donald J. Trump John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center.
Beatty sued the administration, seeking to stop the president’s name from appearing on the Kennedy Center.
The Kennedy Center responded to The Independent's request for comment after publication.
“We are complying with the court’s order while evaluating all legal options to preserve this revitalization and recognize President Trump’s leadership,” said Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations.
Trump has a penchant for naming things after himself and has sought to put his name on several government policies, buildings and decor since returning to the White House last January. In addition to the Kennedy Center, the president’s name appeared on the U.S. Institute for Peace building, banners hanging on the Justice Department, immigration “gold cards,” a discounted prescription medication website, a fleet of battleships and investment accounts for kids, among other things.
But while the president has sought to transfer several institutions of D.C., he’s found difficulty in forcing the Kennedy Center to conform to his ideology.
Last year, the Kennedy Center saw dozens of artists cancel performances after Trump installed his hand-picked board, who elected him chair, including the San Francisco Ballet, Phillip Glass, a touring production of Hamilton, the Washington National Opera, Issa Rae, and more.
By October, the Washington Post reported that ticket sales were declining, with tens of thousands of seats empty for the biggest performances of the season.
Earlier this year, Trump announced he would close the Kennedy Center for a two-year renovation – however, that was also stalled by the federal judge. Kennedy Center officials have said the building was in need of renovations and while the judge acknowledged the concerns, he said the board needed to properly consider the decision.
In response to the court ruling, Trump lashed out at the judge and threatened to abandon his efforts to change the Kennedy Center.
“Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into “NEVER NEVER LAND,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
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