The Trump administration is fighting back against a federal judge’s order to remove the president’s name from the Kennedy Center. Here’s what happened at the board meeting.
Donald Trump will reportedly appeal court’s order to remove his name from Kennedy Center
The Trump administration appealed a judge’s order on Thursday evening, CNN reports. The order overturned the Kennedy Center’s decision to rename the venue for President Donald Trump. It also challenged plans to close the storied arts center during a years-long renovation.
Trump’s handpicked Kennedy Center board of trustees convened a meeting earlier Thursday. The board voted to contest US District Judge Casey Cooper’s ruling. Cooper found that the board violated the law when it added Trump’s name to the historic venue. He also ruled the center could still proceed with renovations to the decades-old building. However, the board would need to more fully consider closing the center’s impact on programming requirements.
Cooper gave the center 14 days to remove all references to the renamed institution. Those efforts have already begun at the venue. The center’s general counsel asked staff to remove the name from email signatures last week. The website logo has also changed. However, exterior signage remained in place as of Thursday night.
A source compared the board meeting to an episode of the political satire show “Veep.” Trump dialed in from the Oval Office via Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s iPhone. He reportedly spent part of the session criticizing Cooper. Trump and Lutnick also attacked Cooper’s wife, Amy Jeffress. Jeffress served as former President Joe Biden’s personal lawyer.
Meanwhile, the board discussed a resolution to honor Trump. It would recognize his “major contributions,” his “profound dedication,” and his “unprecedented… commitment to uphold this cherished American institution.” The board, full of Trump loyalists, passed the resolution. The center’s exterior signage still displays Trump’s name despite the court order.
Originally reported by Vritti Johar on Mandatory.com.
