The Kennedy Center’s lawyers on Thursday directed staff at the iconic venue to remove President Donald Trump’s name from all official signage to comply with a federal judge’s order from last week.
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Staff were told in an email from the Office of the General Counsel to “Remove any references to the ‘Trump-Kennedy Center’ or ‘The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,’ and instead revert to ‘The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ or ‘the Kennedy Center” or ‘the Center.’” The directive also applies to email signatures, letterhead, signage, brochures and website pages.
“The Court ruled that the Board acted beyond its authority in adding President Trump’s name to the Center and gave the Center 14 days from May 29 to remove all references to the Center being named for anyone other than John F. Kennedy,” the letter obtained by NBC News states. It gives a June 12 deadline for compliance.
The directive comes after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled last week that the president’s handpicked board lacked the authority to change the Kennedy Center’s name when it voted in December to add Trump’s name.
A day after the board’s vote last year, the longtime Washington landmark on the shores of the Potomac River donned Trump’s name on its facade. As of Thursday afternoon, Trump’s name remains on the Kennedy Center exterior.
Cooper last week also weighed in on the board’s March decision to close the Kennedy Center for two years to complete $250 million in renovations beginning in July.
The judge said the decision to temporarily shutter the center was based “on an insufficient, one-sided presentation of information and neglected to consider the full range of its statutory obligations.” His order last week did not prohibit the Kennedy Center board from voting to close the building for a period of time, but ordered it to use proper protocols in reaching a decision.
Trump has expressed great interest in the Kennedy Center since he took office for a second term. He has been involved with the center’s programming and events, including canceling some performances and introducing others.
He teased the prospect of adding his name to the building last August in a post on Truth Social, months before the board’s vote.
