President Donald Trump said he has instructed the Department of Commerce to work with Congress on arrangements to transfer responsibility for the Kennedy Center after Judge Christopher Cooper blocked a planned closure for renovations and ordered Trump’s name removed from the venue.
Trump made the comments in a post on Truth Social, saying Cooper ruled that the Kennedy Center’s 36-member Board of Trustees did not have the authority to add “TRUMP” to the center’s name.
Trump said the board had voted unanimously to rename the venue “The Trump Kennedy Center.” He also said the center had been expected to close in early July for large-scale renovation and construction work.
According to Trump, Cooper ruled that the building could not close for the work. Trump said the renovations could not be properly completed without a closure.
Trump criticized the decision and said construction experts had presented safety concerns involving the building, including rotting beams, parking areas he said were subject to collapse and other life-safety issues.
The source material provided does not include the court order, a response from Cooper, a statement from the Kennedy Center or supporting documentation for the safety and financial claims Trump made in his post.
Trump also said the Kennedy Center had lost hundreds of millions of dollars over the years before his administration became involved, including more than $100 million in some years. Those figures were attributed to Trump’s statement.
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