Federal judge steps in with new order after Trump says Kennedy Center could be ‘ripped down’

WASHINGTON, DC: A federal judge on Thursday, September 17, ordered the Trump administration to give at least 30 days’ prior notice before taking any steps toward demolishing the historic John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

US District Judge Christopher Cooper issued the order after lawyers for Democratic Rep Joyce Beatty raised concerns about President Donald Trump’s warning that the center could be “ripped down.”

The Kennedy Center has remained closed amid reported structural deterioration and a separate legal dispute over Trump’s efforts to have his name added to the national arts complex.

Judge orders 30-day notice after Trump’s ‘ripped down’ warning

Although Cooper rejected Beatty’s request for an emergency hearing, he directed the Trump administration to provide at least 30 days’ prior notice before taking any steps toward the demolition of the Kennedy Center’s main building.

The judge also ordered the administration to update him by next Wednesday, September 23, on the status of the center’s “temporary closure” and emergency repairs.

A day ago, Trump defended his administration’s role in the Kennedy Center’s renovation and said the institution could ultimately be demolished without his intervention.

“I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition because if we don’t do that, it’s going to close,” Trump said on Wednesday, September 16. “It’ll end up being ripped down.”

Trump also described the center as being in poor condition, saying, “It’s in very, very bad shape, very dangerous shape,” and added, “You see steel falling down. You see plaster falling off ceilings. You see a lot of dangers.”

Beatty’s lawyers have argued that the temporary closure could become a permanent two-year shutdown, potentially violating earlier court orders restricting the board’s ability to close the institution.

They also submitted an Agence France-Presse photograph released on Wednesday that shows Trump aboard Air Force One looking toward a placard that appeared to contain the words “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHE.”

However, the full placard was not visible in the photograph, and the image itself does not establish that demolition was being planned.

Kennedy Center closure tied to Trump’s renovation fight

The latest order is part of a broader legal dispute over Trump’s changes to the Kennedy Center. Trump installed himself as chairman of the institution last year after removing its previous leadership and replacing the board members with his appointees.

The board later voted to rename the building the “Trump-Kennedy Center” in December last year and added Trump’s name to the exterior.

Cooper ruled in May this year that the name had to be removed, finding that the rebranding violated the law governing the institution. 

Trump’s name was subsequently removed from the building.

The board later proposed additional recognition for Trump, including wording describing the center as the “John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J Trump.”

It also proposed renaming the plaza “President Donald J Trump Plaza.” 

Cooper again blocked those proposals last week, ruling that the center could not install memorials recognizing Trump without congressional approval

Trump has linked his support for the renovation to the naming dispute. Congress appropriated $257 million for renovations, but Trump said on Tuesday that the work would not proceed unless his name was restored to the building.