'Conspire together': Trump accuses CNN, MS NOW and Democrats over Ford's Theatre report

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump accused CNN, MS NOW and Democrats of conspiring to spread false stories about him after reports that officials discussed adding his name to Ford’s Theatre.

The historic Washington theater is where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, and is now a working theater, museum and living memorial to Lincoln.

Trump made the accusations in two Truth Social posts on Thursday, September 24, after a report detailed discussions among administration officials about potentially renaming government sites.

Trump accuses media and Democrats of conspiring

“The Ford’s Theatre Lie is just another example of how the Fake News Media and the Dumocrats conspire together to make up false stories about ‘President Donald J Trump,’” Trump wrote in one post.

He added, “Shouldn’t be allowed to happen. Our Country is desperately seeking a Free and Fair Press!”

In a separate post, Trump rejected the suggestion that he wanted the historic theater named after him, writing, “The Dumocrats make up lie after lie. The new one is that I want Ford’s Theater named after me.”

“That’s where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Who would want that? I don’t!” he continued, calling the report “FAKE NEWS started by MSDNC AND CNN.”

Trump’s posts followed reporting by MS NOW, which said administration officials were circulating a list of government sites that could potentially have his name attached to them. 

The outlet reported that Ford’s Theatre had emerged in discussions, citing people familiar with the effort.

The report said it was unclear how seriously the theater was being considered or how officials might add Trump’s name. 

One administration official, as per the outlet, said the idea had been discussed but did not know its status.

“The story that the White House, or me, want to affix my name to Ford’s Theatre, in Washington, DC, where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, is a ridiculous lie. It is FAKE NEWS! Who would possibly want a name on such a tragic place?” Trump wrote on Wednesday.

Report describes wider effort to rename landmarks

According to MS NOW, officials were also exploring government buildings and other sites that could carry Trump’s name while offering an easier legal path than the administration’s effort involving the Kennedy Center.

One person familiar with the broader renaming effort told the outlet that officials were looking for locations where the president’s name could be added. 

Trump's name keeps surfacing on other landmarks

The Ford’s Theatre report comes amid other reported efforts to attach Trump’s name to prominent American landmarks and institutions.

Trump’s appointees have renamed the US Institute of Peace for him, while his likeness has appeared on US passports, a National Park Service pass and a 24-karat gold $1 coin.

The administration has also reportedly discussed putting Trump’s name on Penn Station in New York, Dulles International Airport in Virginia and the new Washington Commanders stadium.

Trump has denied pursuing the Penn Station renaming. Some Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation to rename Dulles after him, while then-White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in November that it would be “beautiful” for the Commanders’ stadium to bear Trump’s name.

The theater, along with the Petersen House, where Lincoln later died, is owned by the Interior Department and maintained by the National Park Service as the Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site.