Another setback for Trump as Kennedy Center delays putting his name back on building

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump's attempt to put his name on the Kennedy Center hit another pause on Tuesday, August 18, with the performing arts institution telling a federal court it will not move ahead with the controversial signage before September 8. 

The delay comes as a legal challenge over the proposed renaming continues, leaving Trump’s allies on the center’s board waiting for a court ruling before making the latest change to the building’s facade.

Kennedy Center delays change

The latest development centers on a decision by the Kennedy Center's Trump-backed board to postpone the physical installation of the new inscription.

The board voted last week to move forward with adding Trump’s name to the building, despite an earlier federal court ruling that had blocked such a move.

But in a status report filed late Tuesday, the center said the proposed changes would not be carried out before September 8.

That gives the legal battle more time to play out before anyone starts putting new lettering on the building.

The proposed inscription is considerably more than simply adding Trump’s name to the existing title. Under the board’s resolution, the facade would carry the wording: “The John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald J Trump.”

The board also voted to rename the center’s surrounding grounds “President Donald J Trump Plaza.”

Those plans have drawn a fresh legal challenge from Rep Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio, who serves as an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board.

Beatty's attorneys are asking the court to prevent the latest attempt from moving forward, arguing that the board’s new resolution effectively seeks to bypass an earlier order from US District Judge Christopher Cooper.

No end to Kennedy Center saga

The fight over the name is part of a much larger effort by Trump to reshape the institution.

Last year, Trump removed the Kennedy Center’s existing board and installed a group of allies.

He subsequently became chairman of the board himself, giving him a direct role in decisions concerning the institution.

That takeover was followed by a series of changes at the center, including alterations to its leadership, branding and renovation plans.

In May, Judge Cooper ruled that Trump’s name could not be added to the congressionally established memorial.

The lettering referring to Trump was subsequently removed, and references to him were also taken off the Kennedy Center’s website. The latest board resolution effectively reopened that fight.

The center had initially agreed to refrain from implementing the changes until August 27, but later extended that pause through September 8.

However, according to Beatty’s lawyers, the center has not agreed to wait indefinitely for Cooper’s ruling.

That means the legal dispute could remain active even as the deadline approaches.