According to a report by NBC, on August 13 local time, two sources revealed that the board of directors of the Kennedy Performing Arts Center held an online meeting that day and voted to add the name of U.S. President Trump to the exterior wall of the center's building.
In addition, the board of directors has decided to close the main building of the center for two years in order to carry out renovations. The newer theater wing will remain open.
According to reports, the online meeting lasted nearly two hours. The board of directors passed a resolution to rename the venue with 20 votes in favor and 3 votes against. The name of the venue was changed to “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump”. The venue will now be called “the President Donald J. Trump Plaza”. This naming proposal was made by U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilken.
According to sources attending the meeting, Trump, who self-proclaimed as the chairman of the board last year, also participated in several minutes of discussions.
According to reports, those who voted against the proposal were Democratic Representative Joyce Betty, Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and Democratic Representative Rick Larson.
Betty issued a statement saying, “This new development is clearly intended to avoid court rulings and brazenly violate congressional law.”
In December last year, the board of directors of the center voted to rename the Kennedy Center as the “Trump-Kennedy Center”. Betty then filed a lawsuit in court.
In May of this year, Judge Christopher Cooper of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled to remove Trump’s name from the building and website of the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.
The ruling issued by the judge states: "The organization charter of the Kennedy Center clearly stipulates that the center must be named after (the former) President Kennedy. The board has no right to unilaterally decide to bear any other formal name or public memorial name. Only Congress has the authority to change the name of the Kennedy Center."
This ruling was implemented in June.
