Trump administration tells judge: Let us put his name on the Kennedy Center, or we’ll tear it down

The Trump administration has set a condition for preserving the Kennedy Center: President Donald Trump must be allowed to put his name on it, or the erstwhile prestigious cultural arts institution will be torn down.

The logic resembles a child who, told playtime is over, kicks apart the sandcastle they can no longer control. In a 26-page court filing Monday, the Justice Department warned that the center could be demolished if a judge blocks Trump’s naming effort.

The government’s language is unusually devotional. It calls Trump the center’s “sole hope” and says his “unrivaled” real estate expertise qualifies him to save it. The filing credits Trump with obtaining $258 million from Congress, building a donor base and having his administration “ready to go.”

Related: Federal judge orders Trump’s name stripped from Kennedy Center

But there is a price: public recognition. Without it, DOJ argues, donors will flee, and the institution will resume a “death spiral.” The filing claims the center loses tens of millions of dollars annually and projects losses exceeding $100 million, calling the building unsafe and at risk of collapse.

“Without those efforts,” the government wrote, the building would have to come down. It floated an outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River, conceding that it would not adequately honor John F. Kennedy.

The filing came after Democratic U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio sought emergency relief blocking an August 13 resolution by Trump’s handpicked board. Approved 20-3, it would place “renovated and restored by President Donald J. Trump” on the facade, credit the Trump Kennedy Center Fund once its endowment reaches $100 million, and rename the grounds President Donald J. Trump Plaza.

Related: Canceled shows and record lows: How Trump is killing the Kennedy Center

The DOJ also argues that public spending on the inscriptions would not violate a statutory ban on “self-aggrandizement” because the money would not aggrandize the Kennedy Center, its activities or its officials.

As The Advocate previously reported, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in May that Congress named the memorial and only Congress may change it. Trump’s name was removed in June, though a tarp remained over the facade.

The dispute follows Trump’s 2025 takeover. LGBTQ+ programming disappeared, a Gay Men’s Chorus Pride concert was canceled, WorldPride events relocated, and artists withdrew.

Cooper will consider Beatty’s request during a hearing on Thursday at 2 p.m. in Washington.