Kennedy Center board says it won’t try to immediately restore Trump’s name

What the report says

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, said in a court filing on Tuesday that it will not take immediate steps to restore President Donald Trump’s name to the building. The board of trustees said it had committed to holding off on further action until September 8 while the legal dispute continues. Critics, including Democratic lawmaker Joyce Beatty, argued the board may still be trying to work around a court order that previously required the name to be removed.

The dispute is part of a wider fight over how Trump has sought to reshape the cultural institution during his second term. According to the report, the board voted last December to place Trump’s name on the venue, and in February Trump said he would close the building for two years of renovations. Beatty then sued, saying the board had violated rules governing the Kennedy Center, which was established as a memorial to former President John F. Kennedy.

A federal judge later ruled in May that Trump’s name had to be taken off the facade, saying only Congress could authorize a change to the venue’s name. But last week the board voted again to add Trump’s name in another form and to name the plaza after him, prompting fresh objections from Beatty’s lawyers. They warned the board appeared intent on defying the court’s decision. The filing also noted that scaffolding and a tarp remain in place over the area where the name was removed, with the board describing them as part of ongoing repairs.