Kennedy Center staff begins removing references to President Trump’s name

[0:00] Work is now underway at the Kennedy Center to scrub all references to President Trump's name [0:05] after a judge ruled that the building's rebrand was illegal. Staffers were ordered to immediately [0:10] take Trump's name off of social media accounts, email signatures, and other documents. And they [0:15] have until June 12th to take his name off the building. Joining me now, Democratic Congresswoman [0:20] from Ohio, Joyce Beatty. She's an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board who has been [0:25] fighting the Trump administration over the name change from the beginning. Congresswoman, thanks [0:29] for being with us. Once Trump's name comes off the building, do you think that the president will [0:35] move on from the Kennedy Center and focus on his other projects around D.C., like the ballroom and [0:40] the arch? Or do you see him sticking to this? Well, he's made several statements, as you know. [0:47] He has said that he was done. He wanted to give the Kennedy Center back to the Congress, and certainly [0:53] we would welcome that. As a matter of fact, to that point, we filed today another motion to ask [1:00] the judge to make sure that by June the 12th that there is a plan that we can continue to proceed [1:07] with keeping it open. So we're very hopeful. We're moving along. We're working with his team, [1:15] his lawyers, to make sure that we remove that from the website and from all correspondence. And again, [1:21] that's by June the 12th. Judge Cooper was very clear. This was unlawful. And that's what this [1:29] is all about, that it was an unlawful gesture by Donald Trump and those board members that agreed [1:36] to this. So we are moving on the rule of law to make sure that we correct it. And let me just say, [1:42] we're getting calls from all over the country about how excited people are that we're standing up, [1:49] not only for the rule of law, but for this living memorial to John F. Kennedy. [1:56] What's the sense that you're getting among staffers after the judge is ruling? [2:01] Well, I'm getting the sense that people want to get back to business as usual. They want to make [2:06] sure that people like the National Symphony comes back to the Kennedy Center. They want to make sure [2:15] that artists, performing artists and families, this was all about a fight for artists and families [2:21] and the rule of law. So we are very excited and we're very hopeful. We are meeting to make sure [2:30] that we can do all the due diligence that we need to do. We are hoping that the board will function [2:38] as a board should function. We also know that there are things that we need to do to restore [2:45] the Kennedy Center. We're not being naive. We had a plan that we did. We brought in experts to look [2:52] at it. And we now know that we can make those changes and keep the Kennedy Center open. [2:59] So you mentioned the National Symphony Orchestra. It's been thrown into a state of limbo. They have [3:05] said that they've been rendered helpless to plan for their season because the Kennedy Center has not [3:09] approved their budget yet. How does the center now move forward from this and ensure [3:14] that the performing arts are preserved? Well, that's one of our top priorities. It will be [3:21] that hopefully when we look at the June 12th plan of action, that it will talk about [3:27] performances like the National Symphony Orchestra, that we will be able to get a budget and a plan [3:36] together. We know that the Congress has allocated 250 some million dollars for us to proceed [3:44] with restoring the Kennedy Center. And we are hopeful that donors will step up now that they know we're [3:51] moving ahead and performers will come back. And so I think there'll be a lot of movement and a lot of [3:57] people who will be thrilled to come back. The Kennedy family is excited that we're able to move on. [4:04] And I am very hopeful, as I continue to talk with them, that they will be of help to us. [4:11] The president, as you alluded to, has been planning to close down the center for two years for [4:16] renovation, but also that was blocked by the judge's order. So I understand that there's probably a lot [4:21] of logistics in trying to put these performances back on the calendar. How complicated is that? And [4:26] when do you think we'll see performances? [4:28] I do think that it's going to take some time. I don't have an answer today. But I can tell you [4:36] that people are making phone calls, people are coming together. So we're taking it one step at a [4:40] time. The biggest thing was to remove the name so people would come back, because it was unlawful. [4:47] The second is to get the declaration, the motion we filed today, that by June the 12th, [4:53] we'll be able to put a plan together with those who are engaged with the Kennedy Center. So we're [5:00] taking it step by step. But it has been a great victory, I would like to say. And there's so many [5:06] people who are on our side that have called in former donors, people who have supported it, [5:14] artists. So we're going to have to sort through it. It's not an easy task. I'm not being naive. [5:19] But we do have people who are wanting this to happen. And so I am very confident that we will [5:25] continue to work together with anyone who wants to work with us. [5:29] Before you go, I just wanted to ask you about America's 250th anniversary celebration. You know, [5:35] six musical guests have dropped out of performing, saying that these events have just become too [5:40] politicized. President Trump has promised a rally to end all rallies featuring himself, [5:45] essentially. How do we get back to a place in this country where we can celebrate America's [5:50] birthday in a bipartisan fashion and use the performing arts to do that? [5:56] I'm calling on people, Democrats and Republicans, to have the strength to take our country back, [6:02] to make sure that we are celebrating just in a few months, 250 years. That's something that should [6:10] not be partisan because we were all in this together. We had to fight to make sure that we could [6:16] even have our existence. So I think that if we can really look at people wanting to make sure that [6:24] if there's one thing we should be able to stand together on, it should be our own existence for [6:30] 250 years. So I think there'll be more to come on that. Absolutely. And thank you in the media for [6:38] calling that out. We're going to ask corporate America, labor, religious groups for everybody to come [6:44] together for our 250 year celebration. It is quite a milestone and we should all celebrate it. [6:52] Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.