Trump disses ‘hostile and conflicted’ judge who blocked Kennedy Center renaming

President Trump on Tuesday slammed the federal judge who blocked his administration’s latest effort to add his name to the Kennedy Center.

The president, who has repeatedly criticized judges who rule against his administration, called U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper a “very hostile and conflicted Judge” shortly after the Obama appointee released his opinion in this case.

“Isn’t that too bad? We have already wasted more than 6 months ‘playing around’ in Court,” the president wrote on Truth Social . “Time is our Enemy! The Board, comprised of some of the most prominent and respected people in our Nation, is meeting again today. It will be interesting to see what happens.”

The president said the iconic performing arts center is “in a virtual state of collapse,” citing the recent damage to the Kennedy Center’s Grand Foyer ceiling after a heavy rain storm in the nation’s capital.

Cooper ruled Tuesday that the performing arts center’s board could not move forward with these renaming plans until it gets “Congress’s blessing” and found that the board’s August vote approving the addition of Trump’s name likely violated his earlier injunction.

The federal judge ruled in May that the president’s name must be removed from the building’s facade. Trump’s Justice Department made several unsuccessful attempts to pause this order, and the lettering was ultimately removed in June.

The Trump administration has exerted pressure to make a series of changes to the Kennedy Center. Last year, the president removed half of the center’s traditionally-bipartisan board, replaced these members with allies to his administration and named himself as the new chair.

These changes have been opposed by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio board member who challenged the Trump administration in a lawsuit.

“The law is extremely clear: The John F. Kennedy Center is named for President Kennedy — and no one else. But President Trump is holding the Kennedy Center hostage unless he can put his name on this sacred memorial,” Beatty said in a statement following Cooper’s ruling.

“The Court just rejected this proposal for the second time,” she continued. “This unlawfulness is as breathtaking as it is wrong, and it needs to stop.”