WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump's opponents to putting his name on the Kennedy Center called his argument that the venue would fail without his expertise “a tired refrain” because ticket sales and performances "dropped precipitously" under his leadership.
A federal judge ordered Trump’s name removed from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts because Congress established it as a memorial to the slain president. Trump, who heads the center’s board since returning to the White House, insists that he won’t renovate it with $257 million from Congress unless his name is placed on the façade with Kennedy’s.
But lawyers for Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, who serves on the center’s board and is fighting in court to keep Trump’s name off the building,
said a judge found “declines in revenue and contributions, as artists cancelled performances, the Washington National Opera ended its 50-year residency, and ticket sales and viewership of the Kennedy Center Honors broadcast dropped precipitously.”
Beatty’s lawyers called Trump’s argument that the lack of his name on the building “will cause donors to flee, financial contributions to dry up, and structural rehabilitation to cease” a “tired refrain.”
The dispute over Trump’s personal involvement in the renovation project represents the latest legal clash over the iconic arts center. The president has asked the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper’s May order to remove Trump’s name from the building’s façade and to stay open during renovations.
Beatty’s lawyers asked the appeals court for a 30-day delay, to Nov. 30, to respond to Trump’s most recent filing. The lawyers said they were busy collecting evidence in the District Court case.
But Justice Department lawyers opposed the delay, saying they want the dispute resolved as quickly as possible.
The appeals court hasn’t scheduled an oral argument in the case yet.
The Kennedy Center board, which is largely composed of Trump allies, closed the venue earlier this month, after part of the ceiling collapsed during a heavy storm. Government lawyers contend it is too dangerous for patrons to visit.
Cooper has also ordered the government to update him on the temporary closure and repairs by Oct. 2.
The board had previously voted to close the venue for two years of uninterrupted construction. But Cooper ruled the decision was made too hastily and ordered it to remain open. Cooper also ordered the administration to notify him at least 30 days before demolishing the building.
After Cooper ordered Trump’s name removed from the building, the board voted in August 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."
"Such acknowledgements of major donors are common at similar facilities, and Congress did not prohibit such a sensible recognition here," government lawyers said.
But Beatty's lawyers contend the administration is defying Cooper's orders to keep Trump's name off the building and to keep the venue open during renovations.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'A tired refrain.' Critics fight adding Trump's name to Kennedy Center
