US President Donald Trump said Friday he was stepping away from plans to renovate the Kennedy Center after a federal judge blocked the proposed closure of the arts institution and ordered his name removed from the venue.
The ruling marked the latest legal setback for Trump’s efforts to reshape prominent landmarks in Washington during his second term.
A federal judge in Washington, DC, ruled that the Kennedy Center board acted beyond its authority when it voted in March to temporarily close the institution for large-scale renovations and rename it the “Trump Kennedy Center.”
Trump says he will hand control back to Congress.
Responding hours later on TruthSocial, Trump called the ruling “shocking” and said he no longer wished to remain involved with the project.
“Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into ‘NEVER NEVER LAND,’” Trump wrote.
The Republican President, in a lengthy post, said he had instructed his administration to work with Congress on transferring responsibility for the institution back to lawmakers.
“We are going to be working with Congress to transfer this failing Institution back to them so they can decide as to what to do with it,” he said.
The president also accused US District Judge Christopher Cooper of ignoring warnings from construction experts about alleged structural and safety problems at the venue, including “rotting beams” and parking areas “subject to collapse.”
“Judge Cooper should be ashamed of himself,” Trump wrote.
Trump defends renovation push
The President further defended the proposed overhaul of the Kennedy Center, arguing that the venue had suffered from years of neglect and financial losses before his administration stepped in.
He said the administration had planned to transform the center into “the Finest Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World.”
Trump also claimed he took “great pride” in reviving what he described as a struggling institution and compared the effort to other renovation and beautification projects undertaken in Washington during his presidency.
What court order said
Judge Cooper said the board’s March 16 decision to shut the facility for nearly two years was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained,” adding that trustees failed to properly consider their legal obligations before approving the plan, news agency AP reported.
The administration had announced that renovation work would begin in July and continue for about two years.
Cooper also ruled that the board could not legally add Trump’s name to the institution because Congress had originally established the Kennedy Center and only Congress has the authority to rename it, as reported by the Associated Press.
The judge ordered officials to remove Trump’s name from the building façade and all official materials, including physical and digital signage, within two weeks.
Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, said the institution was reviewing the ruling, adding that the center believed the courts would uphold “the Board’s will to recognise President Trump’s historic contributions to our nation’s cultural center.”
Efforts to reshape Washington
Trump has made reshaping Washington’s historic institutions a major focus of his second term.
His administration has overseen projects that include demolishing the White House East Wing for a new ballroom and adding Trump’s name or image to several federal buildings, including the US Institute of Peace and the Justice Department headquarters.
He has also backed plans for a triumphal arch overlooking the Potomac River.
Several of those projects have faced legal challenges, with opponents securing favourable rulings in lower courts. The administration is expected to appeal some of the decisions.
