{"id":2650741,"date":"2026-08-27T19:09:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T23:09:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/howard-lutnick-floats-plan-to-keep-trumps-name-on-kennedy-center\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T19:12:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T23:12:44","slug":"howard-lutnick-floats-plan-to-keep-trumps-name-on-kennedy-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/howard-lutnick-floats-plan-to-keep-trumps-name-on-kennedy-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Howard Lutnick floats plan to keep Trump\u2019s name on Kennedy Center"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhoward-lutnick-floats-plan-to-keep-trumps-name-on-kennedy-center%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2650741&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Howard Lutnick, Commerce Secretary, unexpectedly appeared outside a courthouse, suggesting that the Kennedy Center coudl retain its original name, the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, while adding a plaque crediting President Donald Trump for restoration efforts. This proposal aims to keep Trump\u2019s name on the building amid ongoing legal disputes. The center\u2019s board, chaired by trump, voted to add his name to the facade and surrounding grounds, but a court ruling by Judge Cooper, who stated only Congress can change the center\u2019s name, opposed this move. The dispute intensified after the board initially attempted to rename the center &#8220;Trump-kennedy Center&#8221; following a vote in December, which was challenged by Rep. Joyce Beatty. The case involves allegations that the board is attempting to evade court orders and a legal battle over the authority to rename the center. Lutnick also highlighted safety concerns at the building and the meaningful costs and duration of renovation efforts. The Justice Department warned that halting renovations could lead to demolition and that excluding Trump\u2019s name might threaten funding. The court hearing was temporarily paused due to technical issues, with no immediate decision expected.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Commerce Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/howard-lutnick\/\">Howard Lutnick<\/a> made an unexpected appearance outside a courthouse on Thursday, raising a new theory for how President Donald Trump <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4696159\/beatty-emergency-order-trump-kennedy-center\/\">could keep his name<\/a> atop the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kennedy-center\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"6434\">Kennedy Center<\/a> ahead of a key hearing over the disputed rebranding.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lutnick said the building would retain its congressionally designated name, the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, while adding language crediting Trump for planned repairs, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/atrupar\/status\/2093046014383202375\">according<\/a> to multiple videos taken outside Washington D.C.\u2019s E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4703362\/lutnick-stumps-for-trump-kennedy-center-rebrand-outside-key-court-hearing\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Lutnick stumps for Trump\u2019s Kennedy Center rebrand outside key court hearing<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/technology\/4703256\/nevada-written-policies-flock-cameras-license-plate-reader-bill-protecting-data\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Nevada legislators target Flock cameras with license plate reader bill request<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/infrastructure\/4696385\/faa-shifts-flight-paths-mar-a-lago-no-fly-zone-noise-complaints\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>FAA shifts flight path to Trump-named airport near Mar-a-Lago after no-fly zone angers Palm Beach residents<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (Graeme Jennings\/Washington Examiner)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/08\/localimages\/081426_WEX_KENNEDY_CENTER-4-e1786737789583.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (Graeme Jennings\/Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUnderneath the name of the building, which will remain the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, \u2018Renovated and Restored by President Donald J. Trump,\u2019\u201d Lutnick told reporters.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The proposal is awaiting review by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4587976\/judge-prevents-kennedy-center-closure-forces-trump-name-removal\/\">U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper<\/a>, who ruled in June that \u201cCongress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.\u201d The center\u2019s board, chaired by Trump, later voted to place the new wording on the building\u2019s facade and attach Trump\u2019s name to its plaza.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Thursday\u2019s hearing, attorney Nathaniel Zelinsky, representing <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4696159\/beatty-emergency-order-trump-kennedy-center\/\">Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH)<\/a>, argued the board was attempting to evade Cooper\u2019s order. Beatty, a former Kennedy Center board member, has consistently opposed adding Trump\u2019s name.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey read your opinion and said, \u2018Aha, here\u2019s a way around it,\u2019\u201d Zelinsky argued, according to <em>Meidas Touch <\/em>reporter Scott MacFarlane\u2019s account of the hearing. He accused the board of \u201cslapping President Trump\u2019s name back on\u201d the building in \u201coutright defiance\u201d of the court.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Kennedy Center attorney countered that \u201cthere is no renaming here,\u201d describing the proposed inscription as recognition that the building was restored and renovated by Trump.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cooper, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, cut off an attempt to discuss the center\u2019s condition, calling it a \u201cnon sequitur\u201d and returning to whether his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4605880\/kennedy-center-board-appeal-trump-name\/\">earlier order had been violated<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before Thursday\u2019s hearing, the Kennedy Center\u2019s name had already been at the center of a monthslong legal battle. On Dec. 18, the Trump-aligned board voted to rename the venue the \u201cTrump-Kennedy Center.\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4364489\/kennedy-center-new-years-eve-shows-canceled-trump-renaming\/\">Workers installed new lettering on its marble facade the following day<\/a>, identifying it as the \u201cDonald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beatty sued on Dec. 22, arguing that the board lacked the power to rename a memorial established by Congress. Cooper agreed on May 29, ruling that only Congress could change the center\u2019s name and ordering Trump\u2019s name removed from the facade, website, and official materials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the center unsuccessfully sought to pause the order, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4607549\/kennedy-center-remove-trump-name\/\">crews removed the lettering overnight on June 12 and 13<\/a>. The board revived the dispute in August by voting to credit Trump on the facade for renovating and restoring the building and to name the surrounding grounds President Donald J. Trump Plaza, prompting <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4696159\/beatty-emergency-order-trump-kennedy-center\/\">another emergency request from Beatty<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outside the court on Wednesday, Lutnick described the facility as dangerous and cited concrete falling from the garage ceiling. He said <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4539086\/inside-look-kennedy-center-two-year-renovation\/\">renovations would take two years and cost about $257 million<\/a>, while preserving the REACH, a recent campus expansion that earlier proposals had threatened to close.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The administration warned in a filing this week that the center <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4699980\/doj-warns-replace-kennedy-center-with-amphitheater-if-renovation-canceled\/\">could require demolition<\/a> without its proposed construction plan. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\">Justice Department<\/a> lawyers also argued Monday that excluding Trump\u2019s name could drive away donors, halt contributions, and jeopardize structural repairs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zelinsky called the demolition warning \u201cbreathtaking\u201d and \u201ca threat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outside the courthouse, Lutnick maintained that Trump was undertaking the project for the public, not himself, and said that only the president could raise the $500 million he said was needed for the broader renovation effort.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kennedy-center\/\"><strong>DOJ WARNS KENNEDY CENTER WILL BE TORN DOWN AND REPLACED WITH AMPHITHEATER IF RENOVATION CANCELED <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new argument from the commerce secretary sharpened the focus on an already contentious fight over whether adding a renovation credit and renaming the plaza would effectively accomplish what Cooper previously ruled the board lacked authority to do under the law.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The hearing included an indefinite recess due to technical problems before resuming. Cooper was not expected to issue a definitive ruling Thursday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lutnick suggests Trump\u2019s name stay on Kennedy Center legally<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2650742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26218744762885.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[84086,50410,45157,50057,3634],"class_list":["post-2650741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-arts-funding","tag-controversy-2","tag-howard-lutnick","tag-kennedy-center","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26218744762885.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2650741"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650741\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2650746,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650741\/revisions\/2650746"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2650742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2650741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2650741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2650741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}