Attorneys for the Trump administration asked a federal judge to reject an emergency bid by U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty to block planned inscriptions and the renaming of the grounds at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, warning in court papers that the building could face eventual demolition without major intervention.
The 26-page response, filed August 24 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, argues that the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees acted within its legal authority when it voted August 13 on three measures to recognize President Donald J. Trump’s fundraising and renovation efforts.
The three disputed measures include adding the inscription “renovated and restored by President Donald J. Trump” to the front portico, adding “endowed by The Trump Kennedy Center Fund” once that endowment reaches $100 million, and naming the campus grounds the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza”.
In the filing, government lawyers painted a dire picture of the venue’s physical condition, describing the building as structurally unsound, outdated, and facing ongoing deficits projected to exceed $100 million annually. The brief argued that if donor contributions dry up due to a court order blocking Trump’s recognition, the facility would be unable to carry out necessary rehabilitation.
Without those restoration efforts, the administration warned, the Kennedy Center “will deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure that will be required to be taken down, with a determination to follow on what to build on the site, such as a large outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River that has been proposed, by some, for many years”. The filing added that while such an amphitheater would be simpler and cheaper to operate, it “will fail to adequately honor President John F. Kennedy,” asserting that the alternative is allowing “a decaying hulk that is doomed to inevitable destruction or collapse”.
Government attorneys maintained that the proposed inscriptions do not constitute a formal renaming of the facility itself, which remains the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. They stated that the planned text serves as an acknowledgment of restoration efforts and private philanthropy, comparing it to other named interior spaces such as the Eisenhower Theater.
The filing noted that Trump secured $258 million in congressional capital funding and has mobilized donors to finance an endowment for the facility. According to the brief, the board approved the recognition resolution by a 20-3 vote, with Beatty among the dissenting ex officio members. The Justice Department argued that Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and nonvoting trustee, lacks standing to challenge the plaza naming, pointing to meeting records where she expressed “no objection” to naming the outdoor plaza before voting against the broader package over statutory compliance concerns.
The government also argued that while federal law designates the physical building as the national memorial to President Kennedy, Congress left the surrounding grounds unnamed, leaving naming authority to the board. The brief pointed to previous outdoor designations, including the 2019 expansion known as “The REACH,” as established precedent.
Beatty’s emergency motion follows a May 29 ruling by U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper, which permanently enjoined the administration from renaming the facility itself. Government lawyers stated that the board’s newest resolution fully respects that ruling and includes a review window to ensure all actions remain within legal boundaries before implementation.
READ: Voters Lean Toward Enforcing Existing Gun Laws Over New Bans As Midterms Loom, Poll Finds
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
