Trump fights to keep name on Kennedy Center, warning demolition if renovations don't continue

President Trump's ongoing effort to add his name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts took a turn on Tuesday, with the administration warning that if renovation plans are blocked in court, demolition may be the next move. Nancy Cordes reports.

Just like he's doing with the White House ballroom, Trump suggests he would rather bulldoze a federal structure and build something else in its place, no matter what the law says.

The justice department has also asked for Trump's name to be put back on the building after it was removed in June following a court order.

The Trump administration threatened in a court filing Monday to demolish the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts if it can't renovate it.

Trump Admin Threatens To Demolish Kennedy Center Unless His Name Is Added To Building  HuffPost

Photo Illustration by Victoria Sunday/The Daily Beast/Getty Images/Reuters Donald Trump has raised the extraordinary prospect of demolishing the Kennedy Center if he isn’t allowed to shut down the storied venue for renovations—including putting his name back on the building. As the president moves to remake the perform

The Department of Justice argues that if President Donald Trump's name isn't on the Kennedy Center, donor money for renovations will dry up, leading to its closure

Kennedy Center risks financial ruin without Trump’s name, Justice Department argues  AP News

The historic facility would likely be replaced with a large outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River that “will fail to adequately honor President John F. Kennedy, but would be simpler and more economical to build, operate, and maintain.”

US president’s lawyers in court filing say Washington arts complex must undergo repairs or risk demolition The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts could be demolished if repairs are not carried out, Donald Trump’s administration warned in a court filing on Monday. Lawyers for the US president said the nationa

Trump admin says Kennedy Center 'to be taken down' without renovations  USA Today

A Department of Justice lawyer warned a Washington, D.C., federal court that if the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts does not close for President Donald Trump’s planned two-year renovation, the facility could be demolished. Brantley Mayers, a DOJ Civil Division attorney, wrote in a court filing on Monday that the

The Kennedy Center may need to be demolished and replaced with an open-air performance space if its current building cannot undergo extensive renovations, lawyers for the venue said in court papers on Monday.

The Trump administration on Monday threatened to demolish the Kennedy Center if a judge determines that the renowned performing arts center cannot close for a two-year renovation.  In court filings on Monday, attorney Brantley T. Mayer repeatedly referred to the Kennedy Center as a “decrepit” structure in dire need of

Trump administration defends Kennedy Center renaming plan, warns of demolition risk  Reuters

Trump administration threatens to demolish Kennedy Center if renovations aren’t allowed  CNN

Government lawyers say the venue could be ‘taken down’ if the president can’t use his name on the building to raise money for construction

The Justice Department suggested in a court filing Tuesday that the Kennedy Center could face demolition.

The Trump administration is, for the first time, threatening the demolition of the Kennedy Center if the arts institution isn’t allowed to close for two years for renovations.

In a court filing about honoring President Trump on the facade, the administration said that without a proper renovation the building might need to be “taken down.”

President Trump has  hailed his takeover of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as an economic boon for the storied venue, claiming the historic theater “would be in financial ruin” without Trump, and that not putting his name on the building would “cause donors to flee.”  Instead, it’s been a complete b

Kennedy Center attorneys defended the board’s decision earlier this month to restore Donald Trump’s name three times to the complex, arguing that it is essential to saving the institution. Earlier this month, the board, chaired by Trump and dominated by his allies, voted for a resolution to return Trump’s name to the f