Maybe I am in the minority but I would rather close the building and leave it vacant than put Trump’s name on it. Let’s not give in again to the bully. The next Democratic president can re-open it to great fanfare.
I agree it should be restored under the next Democrat, but you just know the Dotard-in-Chief will bulldoze it rather than not have his name on it.
I get the feeling from what I’ve read of the court decisions that the judge is also rather skeptical of the claims made by Donald’s KC board.
They don’t have a shred of logic behind them; as several have pointed out, the theory that putting Donald’s name on the place will result in a golden age of huge donations and top-name acts, has already been tested and proven to be bunk.
You know what? That would be fine, too, rather than give in to the idiot-in-chief.
Add it to the list of things that need to be repaired/restored, along with restoring the east wing of the White House after demolishing the Trump ballroom, and restoring Memorial Circle after demolishing the Arc de Trump.
And of course actually fixing the Reflecting Pool after Trump’s botched repairs.
The fencing goes up, the building – apparently – closes. And so it begins:
I recently heard a pundit saying that we should stop “taking him seriously” and stop “taking him literally.” That, to me, is about the worst advice the world could ever consider.
Today a judge ordered 30 days notice before any demolition can take place. A photo is circulating of Donald looking at a poster-board graphic titled ominously:
The photo, taken through the windows of one of the Air Force One planes, is in the article.
I agree, but it looks like Trump is going to destroy it if he can’t put his name on it. I’d rather he destroy it than give in to him though. In the long run, as far as the destruction he’s raining down on the United States, this is small potatoes.
I think Trump’s goal now is to tear it down and remove Kennedy’s name entirely. If he builds a new building it will simply be “The Donald J Trump center for the Performing Arts”. You know he has no intention of sharing a building with anybody else. And all of the rules about the name being ordained by Congress applies only to the old building. At least, I suspect that’s the “logic” he’s using.
He’s going to do what he always does, he’ll find a way to bring the building down and start construction on a new one while the courts take their sweet time. In the end, it will be too late to do anything about it.
He seems to be taking lessons from gangsters, “Nice performing arts center you got there. It would be a shame if anything happened to it.”
Ok, I’ll bite.
How can Trump touch the Kennedy Center?
It’s not a Federal Building, correct?
For that matter, does the President have any aurhority over Federal Buildings? We have a big one in Little Rock.
He’s already touched it, you know.
It is a Federal building.
I had heard the Kennedy Center was funded with private endowments. I learned otherwise today.
I’ve wondered why Trump has any interest in the Kennedy Center.
Hopefully the courts can stop him with injunctions.
The Kennedy Center was created by an act of Congress to memorialize a great president who died tragically. The Orange Buffoon has no authority to tear it down. If he threatens to do so the courts will block him, and if he tries to go ahead anyway he should – finally, at long last – be impeached and removed from office.
And yet last night on Air Force One we have a picture of him looking at a poster board about demolishing the Kennedy Center. He’s planning on doing exactly that.
It galls me that he’s caused so much damage with not a single consequence. I fear in the end the Supreme Court will side with whatever he does.
Edit to add - I know it’s already been posted but this is a link to the picture I mentioned above:
Trump Air Force One Photos Fuel Kennedy Center Demolition Speculation - The New York Times
Something I’ve been wondering is if we can go after the contractors doing the work (can DC file state charges?). Clearly no one is going to do anything to Trump, but if contractors start getting fined/jailed for doing illegal/unpermitted work, maybe they’ll stop being so keen to accept these (illegal) government contracts.
I assume that can’t be done or it seems like they would’ve already done it.
I’m not so sure. I think we can be sure that the usual pair of lunatics – Thomas and Alito – will side with anything Trump does, but I’m less certain of the others. On the side of rationality we have, at least, the three liberal justices, Roberts, and, often, Amy Coney Barrett.
I don’t think he cares what courts say any more, unless they rule in his favour. If a court issues an injunction to stop him, he’ll do whatever he wants to. Could he be charged with contempt for defying a court order? Normally, yes, but he’ll fall back on “presidential immunity,” and do what he wants anyway.
I hope that after 2028, the United States takes a good hard look at itself, and makes obviously necessary changes, in legislation or even the constitution itself, so that no future president can run roughshod over norms, precedents, and guardrails that constrain power.
I was entering 7th grade when it opened in 1971. There was a lot of tv coverage
I think there would be a strong case for a legal fight.
He doesn’t have unlimited immunity. If he clearly exceeds his presidential authority, then he’s breaking the law.