Judge questions why Kennedy Center is moving so quickly to return Trump’s name to building

Judge questions why Kennedy Center is moving so quickly to return Trump’s name to building 1 of 5 | The exterior of the Kennedy Center is seen, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026 in Washington. (Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) 2 of 5 | The exterior of the Kennedy Center is seen, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026 in Washington. (Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) 3 of 5 | The bust of President John F. Kennedy is displayed in the Grand Foyer at the Kennedy Center, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026 in Washington. (Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) 4 of 5 | People are seen in the Grand Foyer at the Kennedy Center, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026 in Washington. (Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) 5 of 5 | Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick speaks with reporters outside of the Federal Courthouses before an hearing to allow President Donald Trump’s name to be on the Kennedy Center, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) By STEVEN SLOAN Updated 11:02 PM MESZ, August 27, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Washington (AP) — A judge on Thursday expressed skepticism about the Kennedy Center’s intention to return President Donald Trump’s name to the historic performing arts venue by early next month, challenging the board’s insistence on moving forward even in the face of a court ruling that blocked and reversed a previous effort. Just seconds after the Trump administration’s lawyer, Bradley Mayers, began making his case at a nearly two-hour hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper interrupted to ask why the center needed to begin inscribing the president’s name on the institution’s facade as soon as Sept. 8. “What’s magic about that date?” Cooper asked, quipping that sometimes judges travel over the Labor Day holiday. ✕ Independent journalism depends on readers like you AP has no shareholders, no corporate owners and no paywall. Help us keep our journalism available to anyone by registering for free. Create a free account Sign in to existing account How we use your information Help with registration Continue without registering Mayers responded that the timeline was in accordance with a vote earlier this month by the Trump-aligned board. As he returned to his arguments that renovations at the Kennedy Center require energy and talent, Cooper interjected again. “That’s all fine and good,” the judge said. “What does that have to do with what Congress intended in these statutes? That’s really what’s before me.” Trump has spent much of his second term reshaping Washington to his liking, demolishing the East Wing of the White House to make way for a ballroom, planning a triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery and a renovated golf course along the Potomac River. The Kennedy Center is a rare stumbling block in that effort after Cooper ruled in May that Trump’s name was added to the building illegally, ordering it to be removed. Kennedy Center tells court it won’t try to restore Trump’s name to the building before Sept. 8 3 MIN READ 335 Federal court is asked to block Kennedy Center from returning Trump’s name to building 5 MIN READ 1159 Kennedy Center votes to restore Trump’s name and close for 2 years, challenging a judge’s order 5 MIN READ 1159 Trump and his allies, however, have refused to let that be the final word. The Trump-aligned board at the Kennedy Center voted earlier this month to inscribe his name on the venue’s facade so it would read “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.” If the Trump Kennedy Center Fund reached $100 million, another inscription would be added reading: “Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.” This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and Terms of Service apply. The plaza in front of the Kennedy Center would also be renamed in Trump’s honor. Mayers argued that the moves amount to a recognition of Trump, not the renaming the institution earlier sought. The institution no longer calls itself the Trump-Kennedy Center or focuses on such branding, and there’s no effort to return to that argument. The government’s lawyer also encouraged Cooper not to rule on the inscription related to the endowment because no money has been raised, essentially leaving it a theoretical possibility for now. Despite Cooper’s skepticism of the developments, he also questioned whether he had authority to block the moves as the administration appeals his earlier ruling. He pressed a lawyer for Rep. Joyce Beatty on whether he had jurisdiction in the case given the Trump administration is pursuing an appeal of his May ruling that adding Trump’s name to the building was illegal. “I want to make sure I have the jurisdiction to do whatever I did,” Cooper said of an eventual ruling in the case. Beatty is an ex officio member of the board who has led the effort to block Trump’s moves to put his stamp on the institution. Her lawyer, Nathaniel Zelinsky, warned Cooper that failing to act “would create this black hole where there’s no way to enforce” the earlier decision. Hanging over the hearing was the prospect that the administration may seek to demolish the Kennedy Center. In a filing earlier this week, administration lawyers told the court that absent recognition of the president, the Kennedy Center would struggle to raise money for renovations. Without that money, they suggested, the building may need to be demolished, a prospect that alarmed some given Trump’s swift moves last year to dismantle the East Wing. The Kennedy Center, the lawyers argued, “will deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure that will be required to be taken down, with a determination to follow on what to build on the site, such as a large outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River that has been proposed, by some, for many years.” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who attended the hearing, seemed to downplay that possibility. “What was pointed out,” he told reporters, “was that if you do nothing, bad things happen. But they’re not going to happen on Thursday.” STEVEN SLOAN Sloan is the Washington correspondent at The Associated Press. He managed the AP’s coverage of the 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns. twitter