Lutnick floats new way to add Trump’s name to Kennedy Center

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested a new way Thursday for President Trump’s name to reappear on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Lutnick told reporters outside of a Thursday hearing that the center could “acknowledge President Trump” for his role in proposed renovations. The Trump administration earlier this week said in a court filing that without its recommended construction, the renowned center may need to be demolished .

“Underneath the name of the building, which will remain the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, Renovated and Restored by President Donald J. Trump,” Lutnick said.

The full name — pending a federal judge’s approval — is meant to recognize the work the Trump administration would do to fix what Lutnick called “decades of financial regret.”

“The building is dangerous. People say, ‘oh, don’t overstate that it’s dangerous. Look, there are chunks of concrete falling off the ceiling in the garage,’” he said.

Lutnick continued, Trump’s “doing it for the American people. Because if it takes years to renovate this building and it will take two years to renovate it, he’s not doing it for himself.”

The Commerce secretary also said renovations are expected to cost $257 million.

He clarified that the proposed renovations would keep the REACH — a new addition to the Kennedy Center campus — walking back previous controversial proposals that included its full closure.

On Monday, Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers similarly argued that Trump’s name not appearing on the center would cause “donors to flee, financial contributions to dry up and structural rehabilitation to stop.”

“There will simply not be the expertise or funding necessary to rebuild and renovate this decimated structure,” they continued.

Lutnick echoed the DOJ’s claims Thursday, saying only Trump would be able to raise $500 million for renovations — unlike the center’s other board members.

Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board, has continually opposed Trump’s attempts to add his name to the center. She’s specifically accused the board, which Trump chairs, of trying to get around an earlier ruling from U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper barring the previous name addition.

“Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” Cooper wrote in his June ruling.