A photograph of President Trump looking at plans apparently marked “Kennedy Center demolished” was cited in federal court this week as evidence that the administration may be considering more than a renovation of the Washington, D.C. arts complex.
The photograph, taken through a window aboard Air Force One, shows Trump seated beside a placard on which the words “Kennedy Center DEMOLIS…” are visible, according to ABC News. Reuters, which reported that the complete title appeared to read “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED,” said it had not independently verified the image.
We’re in the midst of an illegal war that’s costing Americans $1 billion a day. Gas is over $4/gallon. AI companies are warning of threats to humanity.
And the President is trying to demolish the Kennedy Center because he can’t put his name on it.
Sums up the Trump era. https://t.co/D0hFUOTGom
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) September 17, 2026
Attorneys for U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty (D-OH) submitted the photograph along with recent comments from Trump as new evidence in her lawsuit concerning his administration’s control of the Kennedy Center.
Trump said this week that the venue’s restoration would not move forward unless his name was returned to the building.
“I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition,” Trump said. “Because frankly, if we don’t do that, it’s going to close. It’ll end up being ripped down.”
Beatty’s attorneys argued that the comments and photograph indicated that demolition could be imminent and asked U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper to intervene.
Cooper declined to hold an emergency hearing but ordered the administration to provide at least 30 days’ notice before changing the scope of the project, “including but not limited to any ‘demolition’ of the Center’s main building,” according to Reuters.
The administration must also provide the court with an update regarding the condition of the building and any emergency work by September 23.
[NOTE: Beatty is an ex officio trustee of the Kennedy Center. She sued after Trump removed members of its leadership, appointed himself chair, added his name to the institution, and announced plans to close the venue for what he called a “Complete Rebuilding.” In May, Cooper ordered Trump’s name removed, ruling that only Congress could rename the Kennedy Center.]
The Trump-appointed Kennedy Center board previously voted to close the complex for up to two years while carrying out a $257 million renovation. Kennedy Center Executive Director Matt Floca said the current emergency closure was necessary to assess portions of the building “exhibiting severe structural deterioration.”
Beatty’s attorneys argued in the latest filing that the emergency closure could instead become “a recipe for defendants extending their shutdown forever and closing the Kennedy Center for the next two years — the very thing this court said they could not do without its permission.”
[NOTE: Congress established the Kennedy Center as a national memorial to President John F. Kennedy. Although the President appoints members to its board, the center’s name, governing structure, and federal funding are established by Congress.]
“We have gotten to the point of consistent judicial intervention to protect this historic institution from getting bulldozed by the President,” Beatty said after Cooper issued the latest order.
