Friday is a deadline for the Kennedy Center to remove President Trump’s name from all of its branding, including the marble front of its building in Washington, D.C.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Today is a deadline for the Kennedy Center to stop promoting President Trump. A judge said the Washington arts center must remove Trump’s name from all of its branding, including the marble front of its building in Washington. They were in the middle of complying when they chose another course. NPR’s Elizabeth Blair, what are they doing?
ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE: The Kennedy Center’s board of trustees on Thursday decided to appeal the ruling. Just to back up a little bit, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled on two lawsuits, one from Representative Joyce Beatty, who is an ex officio board member of the Kennedy Center, meaning she serves on the board because of her role as an elected official. Another suit was from a coalition of cultural and preservation groups. The judge ruled that it was, quote, “crystal clear” that the Kennedy Center was intended as a living memorial to its namesake and that only Congress could change that, so that Trump’s name had to come.
INSKEEP: And initially, the Kennedy Center appointees, somewhat uncharacteristically for this administration, were complying with the court order rather than appealing it to a higher court. It seemed like that for a minute.
BLAIR: That’s right. The center’s general counsel sent a memo to staff telling them to start removing Trump’s name from the logo, all indoor and outdoor signage, email signatures, et cetera. And that was happening. The memo also said his name would come off the building, and people were expecting it to happen early this morning. There’s a pretty active group of protesters who even set up a webcam from an apartment in the nearby Watergate to watch it happen. But his name is still there.
INSKEEP: What’s the case for keeping it the Trump Kennedy Center?
BLAIR: The government filed a motion for a stay, which says the Kennedy Center would be, quote, “forced to squander time and money, only to potentially revert back to the current name after appeal. “They also say removing Trump’s name will hurt the center’s fundraising and will contribute to its financial decline. Now, ever since Trump took over the Kennedy Center, artists have canceled shows and ticket sales have plummeted.
INSKEEP: Very interesting to say that it’s squandering time and money to change the name of the Kennedy Center when the Kennedy Center board changed the name of the Kennedy Center. In any case, how have the plaintiffs responded, the people who want the name down?
BLAIR: Congresswoman Joyce Beatty is being represented by Norm Eisen of the Democracy Defenders Action and Nathaniel Zelinsky of the Washington Litigation Group. In a joint statement, they write, quote, “the Trump administration’s 11th-hour gambit after waiting nearly two weeks evinces desperation. That is what they should be feeling because they don’t have a legal leg to stand on.” End quote. They have filed an opposition to the government’s motion for a stay.
INSKEEP: OK. We’ll continue listening for your reporting to see what happens next. Elizabeth, thanks.
BLAIR: Thank you, Steve.
INSKEEP: That’s NPR’s Elizabeth Blair on the Kennedy Center.
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