WASHINGTON – Opponents of putting President Donald Trump’s name back on Kennedy Center called his threat of possibly demolishing the building “delusional” ahead of a court hearing about the venue’s fate.
“This is a breathtaking assault on the rule of law,” wrote lawyers for Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, who serves on the Kennedy Center’s board. “It is delusional. And it must stop.”
The battle in federal court is over Trump putting his name on the façade, which a judge ordered removed. Trump then argued that a massive renovation of the building can’t be completed without his fundraising – and recognition for it with his name on the building and grounds – even though Congress appropriated $257 million for the project.
U.S. District Judge Christopher
Cooper set a hearing for 2 p.m. on Aug. 27 for updates on the project. Cooper previously ordered Trump’s name removed from the façade, which happened June 13, because the 1964 statute that created the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
And Cooper temporarily prevented the administration from closing the venue for two years of construction because the board’s decision was too hasty.
The board of mostly Trump allies responded Aug. 13 by approving a plan to close for two years while holding performances of the National Symphony Orchestra, the Kennedy Center Honors and Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at other locations. The board estimated that a two-year project would cost $280 million while a four-year project would cost $580 million.
The board voted to rename the building: “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.”
If Trump’s fundraising for the project reaches $100 million, the façade would read: “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.”
The board also voted to name the grounds beneath the venue “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”
Justice Department lawyers said unless the renovation project and recognition for Trump are approved, the building could be torn down and replaced with an open-air amphitheater.
"Without those efforts, the Center 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," government lawyers said.
Beatty’s lawyers made an emergency request to Cooper to block Trump’s “intolerable” plan to close the venue during construction and return his name to the façade.
“To do anything less, in this enormously consequential and closely watched case, would reward Defendants’ underhanded tactics and undermine public faith in our system of justice,” the lawyers wrote.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Opponents call Trump 'delusional' for threat to demolish Kennedy Center
