Trump Can’t Put His Name on the Kennedy Center. Good.

(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

by Chris Peterson

A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump cannot add his name to the Kennedy Center and blocked the planned temporary closure of the performing arts venue for a yearslong renovation.

According to CNN, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said the Kennedy Center board violated the law when it added Trump’s name to the historic institution.

Judge Cooper’s decision states that only Congress can change the Center's name. Cooper rules that Trump’s name must be removed from the building and the website within 2 weeks. The judge also stopped the center from closing its doors for the proposed renovation, which had raised serious questions about the future of one of the country’s most visible performing arts spaces.

So, hooray for common sense prevailing. We have a feeling Trump won't take this lightly, so we’ll see what happens. But why are we here at all?

The Kennedy Center is a national cultural institution named by Congress. What has been so frustrating about this entire situation is how casually the arts have been folded into the usual political ego project. We have enough buildings with Trump slapped across them. We do not need our national performing arts center turned into a vanity plaque.

And yes, buildings need repairs. Anyone who has ever worked in theatre knows that. We have all seen the lobby ceiling that leaks, the dressing room that looks like it lost a fight in 1987, the backstage hallway that should probably be studied by historians. Stewardship is the issue, not renovation

There is a massive difference between caring for a cultural institution and using “renovation” as cover for political rebranding. When an arts organization suddenly faces cancellations, distrust, and leadership upheaval, maybe the answer isn't to shut the whole thing down and put a new name on the wall. 

Theatre and the performing arts already spend too much time fighting for legitimacy.. And then, at the highest level, we watch a major cultural center get treated like a trophy.

Come on. We all know what this is.

The Kennedy Center should not be a political souvenir. It should be protected precisely because the arts are bigger than one man’s ego.

This ruling does not solve everything. The Kennedy Center still has real questions ahead about leadership, public trust, programming, and how it repairs the damage already done. But at the very least, this decision draws a line.

The arts do not belong to politicians. They belong to the public.