Trump Ally Floats New Way to Add Name to Kennedy Center

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has a fresh idea for getting President Trump's name back on Washington's Kennedy Center—without technically renaming it. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Lutnick suggested the arts complex could keep its official title as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, but add a new line beneath it: "Renovated and Restored by President Donald J. Trump." He framed the move as recognition for a proposed $257 million renovation plan, which the Trump administration says is needed to address serious structural problems, reports the Hill.

Lutnick spoke before a federal hearing on the matter, and the judge at least temporarily delayed any such inscription, notes the New York Times. Judge Christopher R. Cooper said he needed time to weigh a legal objection from Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Kennedy Center board member. The administration wanted Trump's name added by Sept. 8, and the new deadline is Oct. 8. Justice Department lawyers have argued in court that excluding Trump's name could scare off donors and imperil the center's rehabilitation.