The Kennedy Center’s board, handpicked by President Donald Trump, is making a last-minute effort to keep his name on the iconic performing arts facility. A court-ordered deadline to remove the name by Friday is looming.
Background
In May, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that Trump’s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center, stating that only Congress could institute such a change. The board has since voted to seek a stay of the ruling, with a formal request to be filed on Friday.
The Kennedy Center’s website has already dropped Trump’s name, and an email sent to members earlier this week came from the Kennedy Center without including the president’s name. Despite this, the board is pushing to keep the name, with a resolution recognizing Trump’s ‘commitment to uphold this cherished American institution’.
Reactions
Norm Eisen, a board member at Democracy Defenders Action, and Nathaniel Zelinsky, senior counsel at the Washington Litigation Group, have stated that the Trump administration’s move is a ‘desperate’ attempt to keep the name. They represent Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, who filed the lawsuit seeking to remove Trump’s name from the institution.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
