Crews have begun removing President Donald Trump’s name from the exterior of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The removal comes after a federal judge ruled last month that Trump’s handpicked board of trustees acted illegally when they voted to add Trump’s name to the venue.
Background
The Kennedy Center’s organic statute makes clear that the Center is to be named for President John F. Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it, according to U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper.
Trump’s board at the Kennedy Center mounted a last-minute effort to keep his name on the facade of the iconic performing arts facility. However, a judge on Friday denied the Kennedy Center’s request to pause the ruling ordering Trump’s name be removed.
The Kennedy Center received an email from its general counsel that laid out steps for cooperation, including the removal of Trump’s name. The decision raises the prospect that Trump’s name will be removed from the building unless the Kennedy Center decides to appeal the decision.
Reaction
Crowds of people, including federal workers who were fired during Trump’s administration, family and friends of Kennedy Center employees, and longtime patrons of the performing arts center, have gathered outside the building to watch the letters of Trump’s name come down.
Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
