Upon returning to the White House, Donald Trump almost immediately seized on the Kennedy Center.
First, he replaced the board. Then, he complained when a series of high-profile artists cancelled their engagements at the center, and members of the Kennedy family have objected to Trump’s stewardship. Then he added his name to the institution, calling it the Trump Kennedy Center, and then he announced a two-year closure of the institution. Most recently, Trump has announced the departure of his hand-picked president, Ric Grenell, and after Bill Maher was announced as the winner of the Center’s Mark Twain Prize, it was announced hours later that the Trump enemy would not get the prize after all.
This morning, the Kennedy Center was making arrangements for Bill Maher to receive the Twain Prize.
This afternoon, the White House reversed the decision. https://t.co/h6ZLGNO8bk
— Yoni Appelbaum (@YAppelbaum) March 20, 2026
Now, Trump’s laying of waste to the Kennedy Center has sparked a lawsuit.
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According to the Daily Beast, “a coalition of eight leading architecture and historic-preservation organizations” has filed suit in federal court, asking the courts to stop any further work on the center, pending Congressional approval.
The groups involved in the lawsuit include the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Institute of Architects, the DC Preservation League, and the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Major lawsuit set to protect the Kennedy Center and expose Trump’s intentions hidden from view.
Check out this article: https://t.co/TR5MH6QCNA— Cats Corner (@CatsCornerCMari) March 24, 2026
“The Kennedy Center is not a personal project of any president. It is a national cultural monument built to honor John F. Kennedy and to serve the American people,” Rebecca Miller, executive director of the DC Preservation League, said to The Washington Post. “Federal law requires transparency, expert review, and public participation before it can be fundamentally altered.”
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), a Kennedy Center ex-officio trustee, has filed suit as well, stating that Congress, and not the board, has the authority to change the institution’s name.
“This entire process has been a complete disgrace to this cherished institution and the people it serves. These unlawful actions must be blocked before any further damage is done,” the Congresswoman told the press through her attorneys.
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
