The Trump administration is moving to challenge a federal judge’s order that President Trump’s name be removed from the Kennedy Center, filing a notice of appeal Thursday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Last month, Judge Cooper said the administration did not have the authority to rename the institution, ruling that only Congress could make such a change. He directed that references to Trump be taken down by Friday and also barred the administration from shutting the arts venue for a major renovation project that had been scheduled to begin in July and continue for two years.
The latest action by the board represents a reversal from guidance issued in a June 4 memo from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel, which instructed staff to use either “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or simply “Kennedy Center” in email signatures, letterhead and other official materials.
That shift is already visible in public-facing communications. The Kennedy Center’s website no longer includes the president’s name, and an email sent earlier this week to members promoting ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony was distributed under the Kennedy Center name alone.
Rep. Rick Larsen, a Washington Democrat and ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board, said in a statement that he took part in the meeting and opposed any effort to seek a stay of the ruling.
“I look forward to putting these distractions behind us and focusing on supporting the arts and the future of the Center,” Larsen said.
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Rep. Rick Larsen, a Washington Democrat who is an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board, said in a statement that he participated in the meeting and opposed seeking a stay.
“I look forward to putting these distractions behind us and focusing on supporting the arts and the future of the Center,” he said.
After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Mr. Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a hand-picked board of trustees that named him chairman. He brought in Richard Grenell to serve as president, a position he held until March when Matt Floca assumed the role.
The center’s lineup has included more Trump-friendly programming, serving as the venue for events such as the premiere of first lady Melania Trump’s documentary, “Melania.”
The board also announced it had renamed the facility the Trump Kennedy Center, a change scholars and lawmakers say must be initiated by Congress, and physically added the president’s name to the building’s facade.
The fallout from the arts community was swift and intense. Actor Issa Rae, musician Bela Fleck and author Louise Penny were among the numerous artists who withdrew from appearances, while consultants such as musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned. Earlier this month, the executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, Jean Davidson, left to head the Los Angeles-based Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
In addition to voting on the stay on Thursday, the board backed a resolution recognizing Mr. Trump’s “commitment to uphold this cherished American institution.”
