Trump officials threaten Kennedy Center demolition if court blocks renovations
The justice department has also asked for Trump's name to be put back on the building after it was removed in June following a court order.
Officials within the Trump administration have issued a warning that the Kennedy Center could face demolition if a court prevents planned renovations for the performing arts institution, according to recently unsealed court documents.
Justice Department attorneys have additionally requested the reinstatement of President Donald Trump's name on the building, which was removed in June following a prior court order.
"An order blocking the Board from appropriately recognising President Trump," the legal team contended, "will cause donors to flee, financial contributions to dry up, and structural rehabilitation to stop."
The Kennedy Center is one of several historic Washington D.C. locations that Trump has aimed to refurbish since his return to the White House in 2025.
Trump's lawyers assert that without the proposed renovations, the venue "will deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure that will be required to be taken down." They further described the venue as "embarrassing to the Nation's Capital."
Justice Department attorney Brantley Mayers stated that once the "decrepit structure" is removed, a decision on what to construct in its place will be made, including the possibility of a large outdoor amphitheater with views of the Potomac River.
This demolition threat emerges just weeks after the Kennedy Center board voted to re-affix Trump's name to the venue's facade and to proceed with a two-year closure for the proposed renovations. Many of the board members who cast these votes are Trump loyalists appointed by the president.
In late May, a U.S. judge ruled that the president's name had been unlawfully added to the venue, as renaming it requires congressional approval. The judge mandated the removal of the name, which occurred in June.
This legal action is part of a larger dispute concerning the renaming of the cultural institution, which U.S. law designates as a memorial to President John F. Kennedy.
This project is the latest in a series undertaken by Trump since his return to Washington. He has been overseeing renovations of the reflecting pool on the National Mall, intends to build a 250-foot victory arch, has demolished the White House East Wing to construct a ballroom, and has affixed his name to institutions such as the Kennedy Center and the U.S. Institute of Peace.