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‘Too much’: Trump blasts Obama-appointed judge who scraps his name from Kennedy Center

May 30, 2026 | | Print Article

The decision by an Obama-appointed judge regarding the future of the Trump Kennedy Center evidently proved “too much for the president,” as he issued a statement with his intentions.

“… I have no interest in … a hopeless journey into ‘NEVER NEVER LAND.'”

Opposition to President Donald Trump has been a constant throughout his White House tenure, increasing beyond his administration’s policies to include efforts at beautification in the nation’s capital. On Friday, lawfare affected plans to revitalize the performing arts facility in Washington, D.C., as well as its name, leading the chief executive to announce his intent to “transfer the failing institution” back to Congress.

A 94-page ruling by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper favored the challenge brought by ex officio board member Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty (D) against the board of the Trump Kennedy Center. It stated in part, “The Kennedy Center’s organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so.”

“Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” he added. As to repairs, Cooper indicated they could move forward so long as the board meets “certain minimum requirements imposed by law.”

Reporting on Trump’s reaction in the form of a lengthy Truth Social post, Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy detailed the block to renovations and official name change and said, “And that is too much for the president … And so, his argument in this long post is basically, if they’re gonna take my name off it and they’re not gonna let me fix it, it’s not worth my time.”

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In his own words, the president outlined the ruling before expressing, “The Kennedy Center has lost, over the years, prior to our getting involved a short while ago, Hundreds of Millions of Dollars — In some cases, including ridiculous construction jobs that were done, over 100 Million Dollars a year.”

“I took pride in taking over a losing institution, and looked forward to making it into a Great and Prestigious WINNER for Washington, D.C., and indeed, the United States of America,” he went on. “Unfortunately, Judge Cooper and the Radical Left would rather see it DIE than have President Trump transform it into something that everyone could be proud of, much as I have done, in many cases, throughout my life, and recently, with all of the construction, renovations, and ‘fix ups’ that we have completed with the Department of Interior on Waterfalls, Fountains, Monuments, and other things of Beauty that we have brought back to life in a now SAFE AND SECURE, after Record Setting Crime, Washington, D.C., which is thriving like, perhaps, never before!”

The president further expressed his intent to work with Congress to “transfer this failing institution back to them so they can make a determination as to what to do with it.”

“I cannot be involved with a situation where danger to the Public is allowed to flourish in plain and open sight,” Trump said as he made note of a presentation that had been given to the judge regarding structural issues with the center. “Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into ‘NEVER NEVER LAND.'”

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In her own reaction to the ruling, Beatty insisted it “rightly affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law,” and that “The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump. He has desecrated this sacred memorial for his own vanity.”

As was previously reported, much like entertainers had backed out of the “Great American State Fair” planned for the National Mall to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday, Beatty had harped on the politically-backed motivations of artists canceling events at the center, insisting a renovation wouldn’t help, “But a return to artistic independence will. America’s artists are rejecting this attempted takeover and it is resounding. The administration knows it, and they’re scrambling for cover.”

Meanwhile, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) addressed both the broader problem of judicial activism and his intention to support the president’s plans for the center as he reacted on X, “When it comes to federal district court judges and President Trump, things are getting way out of control. I can’t believe a federal judge would deny President Trump — working with the Trump Kennedy Center Board — the ability to close the center for renovations. What a judicial power grab.”

“I’ll be honored to work with President Trump and his team to make sure the renovations move forward,” continued the lawmaker. “I also personally support allowing President Trump’s name to be attached to the center because he’s done more than any president since the founding of the center to renovate it, protect it and have it flourish.”

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Kevin Haggerty
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