The restoration of the iconic Kennedy Center’s name is perhaps the most visible example of the courts pushing back on Trump’s aggressive efforts to reshape wide swaths of the federal government and Washington, D.C. life.
In his second term, Trump has attached his name or image to U.S. passports, battleships, social welfare programs, and multiple federal buildings. Trump’s signature is set to appear on future U.S. paper currency, the first living president to choose to do so. The President also reportedly sought to name Washington Dulles International Airport and New York’s Penn Station after him, although neither transportation hub has changed its name yet.
Eisen tells TIME the fight to keep the Kennedy Center’s original name is about defending the rule of law and putting a check on Trump’s corruption, while also paying respect to the building’s namesake.
“What this also means to me is the protection of a memorial to a fallen president, someone who our nation mourns and misses, and the restoration of the building for artists and audiences alike, who fled when Donald Trump’s name was slapped on there, and it was politicized,” he added.
