'Rather deteriorating than Trump': Burgum confronts Kennedy Center ruling as appeal looms

WASHINGTON, DC: After a federal court on Friday, May 29, ordered President Donald Trump's name to be removed from the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Sunday sidestepped the question about whether the administration would remove the president’s name.

Appearing in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on 'State of the Union', Doug Burgum indicated that the administration might continue fighting a court order.

“I’m not sure if that’s going to be appealed or not, but I think, you know, there’s controversy on both sides of this about that ruling,” Burgum said when asked about the court’s verdict, ordering the removal of Trump’s name from the center within the next two weeks.

Doug Burgum highlights Trump's role in Kennedy Center restoration

Burgum appreciated President Trump's desire to change the structure of the Kennedy Center and his dedication of time and effort to raising private funds to restore the building.

"The only thing I can tell you about the Kennedy Center is, this is another thing, when President Trump took office, the structural integrity of the building, the deterioration issues with the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, the HVAC systems, needed massive repairs," Burgum said.

“And President Trump was willing to get out, raise private funds, dedicate his time as a master builder to restore this building,” he added. “I think the judge just said he needs to take his name off the site.”

“And he also said you can’t shut it down for repairs. I mean, this is — Without more information given…by the board,” Burgum said.

Doug Burgum cites Trump's Congress handover warning

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the administration's position, arguing that the judge had been presented with extensive evidence about the building's condition.

"The judge had photographs, details. I mean, the amount of information that he was given about the condition of that building," Burgum said.

Calling the ruling surprising, he added that it was "shocking" the court would block efforts to shut the facility down despite its deteriorating state.

Burgum further suggested that critics would rather see the institution continue to decline than allow Trump to intervene.

"We'd rather have an institution that is deteriorating and falling apart than let our president step in," he said, describing Trump as "arguably the most experienced builder we've ever had in the Oval Office."

When asked by CNN's Dana Bash whether the property would ultimately be handed back to Congress, Burgum stopped short of offering a definitive answer.

Instead, he pointed to Trump's recent comments on the matter. "President Trump has made a statement that if he can't fix it, then give it to Congress and let them figure out how to manage this thing," Burgum said.