President Donald Trump said the Kennedy Center could ultimately be "ripped down" if his administration isn't given recognition for restoring the Washington performing-arts complex, remarks that prompted a federal judge to impose a new restriction requiring 30 days' notice before any demolition or major physical changes.
Trump made the comments Wednesday in North Carolina, one day after the Kennedy Center board voted to close the venue for as long as two years for a $257 million renovation. The dispute has become entangled with Trump's efforts to have his name placed on the institution, which Congress designated as a memorial to President John F. Kennedy.
"I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition. Because frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down," Trump told reporters.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper ordered the administration to provide at least 30 days' notice before taking steps to demolish the Kennedy Center or make other major physical changes. Cooper issued the order after lawyers for Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex officio Kennedy Center board member, returned to court citing Trump's remarks.
Cooper declined Beatty's request for an emergency hearing. Her lawyers also pointed to a photograph of Trump aboard Air Force One examining what appeared to be a rendering depicting demolition of the Kennedy Center; the image was taken by an AFP photographer and later included in Beatty's court filing.
The legal intervention comes as the main Kennedy Center building is already temporarily closed because of what officials describe as safety concerns. Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Matt Floca said in a court filing that parts of the building were experiencing "severe structural deterioration."
Officials cited an inspection of the roof-terrace canopy and a partial ceiling collapse in explaining the emergency shutdown, which is expected to last at least seven days while conditions are assessed. That temporary closure is separate from the board's decision to close the venue for extensive renovations that could last up to two years.
The latest order extends a broader legal fight over Trump's efforts to obtain recognition at the Kennedy Center. Cooper previously ruled that the institution couldn't be renamed without congressional authorization and ordered Trump's name removed from the building's exterior. The administration is appealing.
In a Sept. 15 order, Cooper also blocked proposals to place an inscription on the building saying it was "renovated and restored by President Donald J. Trump" and to rename the surrounding campus "President Donald J. Trump Plaza." The Kennedy Center board had considered several alternatives for recognizing Trump after earlier naming efforts were blocked.
A separate proposal involves recognition of a "Trump Kennedy Center Fund." Cooper hasn't issued a final ruling on that proposal, but the court has required advance notice before an inscription tied to the fund could be installed.
Kennedy Center trustees have argued that recognizing Trump is connected to maintaining his involvement in the renovation and the institution's finances. Draft board materials said trustees believed that without "appropriate recognition," Trump might not continue providing what they described as essential oversight and fundraising support. Those statements reflect the board's position rather than a judicial finding.
Congress has already allocated $257 million for repairs to the Kennedy Center, which opened in 1971. Trump and his allies on the board have argued that the aging building requires extensive work, while Beatty and other critics have challenged both the naming proposals and the administration's authority to close or substantially alter the institution.
