Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick pushed to reinstate President Donald Trump‘s name on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Lutnick, on Thursday, told reporters that the center could “acknowledge President Trump” for his involvement in the proposed refurbishments. The proposed inscription, which remains subject to the ongoing court fight, would read “John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, Renovated and Restored by President Donald J. Trump,” the Commerce Secretary stated, according to a report by The Hill.
He explained that the Trump administration would be addressing “decades of financial regret” and making the building safe again. He emphasized that the renovations were not for Trump’s personal benefit, but for the American people. The renovations are expected to cost $257 million.
The renovation plan would keep the REACH, a newer arts facility on the Kennedy Center campus, open while the main building undergoes a two-year closure.
Lutnick said the center’s demolition would be an “eventuality” if Trump cannot renovate it, but stressed that such a happening is not imminent, according to a report by CNN.
Notably, Lutnick’s wife, Allison Lutnick, is a member of the Kennedy Center’s board.
Trump Naming Plan Faces Legal Pushback
Earlier this month, the board approved facade language reading and renamed the grounds “the President Donald J. Trump Plaza” and announced plans to close the performing arts complex for two years. The move renewed the legal fight after a federal judge previously blocked the board from renaming the center and ordered Trump’s name removed.
On Thursday, the Justice Department defended plans to add Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center, arguing the move does not violate previous court rulings or federal law. A DOJ lawyer said the inscriptions recognize Trump’s efforts to restore the center, which he described as being in financial and structural disarray, rather than formally renaming it.
Later in the day, the Kennedy Center board told a federal judge it would delay any attempt to add Trump’s name to the building or grounds until at least October 8, pushing back its earlier timeline by one month, as per CNN.
In July, the center warned of a potential financial setback, possibly in the “hundreds of millions,” following a court order to erase Trump’s name from its foundation. The center lodged a court document pleading for a stay to suspend the federal judge’s directive. It argued that the financial harm it would endure “will never be recovered,” jeopardizing its future construction projects.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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