Trump's Kennedy Center appeal is so unhinged he must have written it himself: legal expert

[LetMyPeopleVote]

I would NOT have signed my name on this filing. The idiot who signed his name deserves to be sanctioned. This brief is so bad that it is funny

Trump's Kennedy Center appeal is so unhinged he must have written it himself: legal expert #RawStory

— #TuckFrump (@realtuckfrumper.bsky.social) 2026-06-12T22:01:13.000Z

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-kennedy-center-2677035083/

The Trump administration has filed an appeal of the order to take President Donald Trump's name off the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts — and legal experts immediately noticed the filing was so vitriolic and unprofessional that the president himself likely had a hand in writing it.

"Without the name, 'Trump' on the Building, our fundraising will not only come to a halt, but any and all monies raised or committed would be obligated to be returned, refunded, or terminated," stated the filing, adding that "people and companies, who have given, or will be giving, millions of dollars to the Center were only willing to do so with the name 'Trump' on the Building. Many did it because they loved the concept of two Great Presidents, one Republican, one Democrat, working together as one."

The filing also bemoaned the fact that federal courts have shut down Trump's plan to close the Kennedy Center for a two-year renovation period.

"No one else other than President Trump would be in the position of both rebuilding the Building, and raising the money for its operation," said the filing. "The Building is also in bad shape, and unsightly to look at, a constant source of conversation within the Washington, D.C., area. It is unable to compete with other such venues throughout the United States, but when completed, as planned, will be the envy of the World, something that everyone, including this court, will be proud of."

This filing astonished Norm Eisen, former White House ethics counsel and impeachment attorney, who has been litigating the efforts to stop Trump's changes to the Kennedy Center.

"Donald Trump just filed his emergency stay in the DC circuit to keep his name on the Kennedy Center & it is bat(expletive) crazy," wrote Eisen. "He clearly wrote big pieces himself."

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. I agree with Barbara

Link to tweet

Any lawyer who would sign their name to this insane filing should be laughed out of court and the practice of law.

Link to tweet

BREAKING: Donald Trump just filed his emergency stay in the DC circuit to keep his name on the Kennedy Center & it is batsh** crazy

He clearly wrote big pieces himself

We have filed our opposition, fighting for the rule of law & the American people

[greatauntoftriplets]

2. I love Norm Eisen.

He's doing great work, and with a sense of humor.

[pat_k]

5. As far as I can determine it was signed by Brett Shumate

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/me/maine/politics/2026/06/12/kennedy-center-appeal-justice-department-doj-joyce-beatty-renovations-judge-cooper-deadline

“Requiring a name change now, only to potentially revert back to the current name after appeal, would be incredibly confusing for the public,” Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate wrote in the motion requesting a stay.

Here's a March 2025 letter of opposition to Mr. Shumate from the alliance for justice:
https://afj.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Shumate-Letter-of-Opposition.pdf

[RockCreek]

3. An AI program trained on his tweets, prior lawsuits, etc could have come up with this steaming load.

[malaise]

4. Stark, raving mad

Rec

[in2herbs]

6. If it's a bat#$%#$ crazy pleading signed by a lawyer file a Bar Complaint!!! nt

[Baitball Blogger]

7. Jesus. Talking about riding someone's coattails.

"Many did it because they loved the concept of two Great Presidents, one Republican, one Democrat, working together as one."

[LetMyPeopleVote]

8. DC Circuit DENIES the Trump administration's request for an immediate administrative stay in the Kennedy Center case.

The DC Circuit rejected trump's brief

Link to tweet

[LetMyPeopleVote]

9. Trump's name poised to be removed from Kennedy Center after court denies last-minute move to keep it

This brief was largely written by trump.

Trump’s name poised to be removed from Kennedy Center after court denies last-minute move to keep it #usnews

— WMBF News (@wmbfnews.com) 2026-06-12T23:57:04.674Z

https://apnews.com/article/trump-name-kennedy-center-e6caa6a7c6115671490278491ee9e96c

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center was running out of options Friday evening to keep President Donald Trump’s name on the facade of the iconic performing arts venue.

A judge earlier in the afternoon rejected a request to pause a court-ordered deadline of Friday to remove references to Trump from the building and other aspects of the Kennedy Center’s operations. The institution appealed that ruling, an effort that was also rebuffed Friday evening.

Scaffolding was erected earlier in the day around a section of the building that includes Trump’s name, though there was no effort to remove it by 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Storms with lightning were dancing around Washington, adding to the challenge for workers.

After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. Trump’s name was quickly added to the building.

[ChicagoTeamster]

10. Is this why they're waiting to start with the scaffolding in place?

[Wiz Imp]

11. "The Building is also in bad shape, and unsightly to look at"

REALITY
Beginning in 2013, the center commenced an 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) expansion project on four acres (1.6 ha) in the center's South Plaza. The expansion added classroom, rehearsal, and performance space and includes three pavilions (the Welcome Pavilion, the Skylight Pavilion, and the River Pavilion), a reflecting pool, a tree grove, a sloping lawn to be used for outdoor performances, and a pedestrian bridge over Rock Creek Parkway.[37][38] The architect is Steven Holl,[38] with assistance from architectural firm BNIM.[39] Edmund Hollander Landscape Architects is the landscape architect.[40]

Plans for the expansion project began after David M. Rubenstein donated $50 million to the center.[39] A groundbreaking ceremony took place in December 2014. Originally estimated at $100 million, the project cost grew to $175 million, and design changes and a major D.C. sewer project significantly delayed construction. The expansion, entitled the REACH, opened on September 7, 2019, with an opening arts festival.[38][41][42] The fundraising goal for the REACH expansion grew to $250 million[43] as the project progressed, and the target was achieved just two days before opening. Since its opening, the REACH has received several design awards, such as The Architect's Newspaper's Best of the Year Award in the Cultural category and an Honor Award in the 2020 AIA New York Design Awards.[44][45]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Center

[kairos12]

12. What color crayon?

[58Sunliner]

13. Demented Donny didn't write any part, although the whining is very familiar.

[EdmondDantes_]

15. Of course he didn't. He wouldn't have said anything about returning the money

Returning money isn't how one steals the money.

[58Sunliner]

16. Bingo.

[Just Jerome]

14. Sounds as though

John Barron had a hand in it.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

17. ...

[LetMyPeopleVote]

18. MaddowBlog-Crews removed Trump's name from the Kennedy Center, but hid results from the public

The removal of the president’s name was poised to be a symbolically significant event. His team, however, preferred a literal cover-up.

Crews removed Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center, but hid results from the public www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Philly Joe (@joehick58.bsky.social) 2026-06-15T18:37:17.900Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-kennedy-center-name-removed-cover-up

Late last week, the administration made several last-ditch efforts to halt implementation of the ruling before the court-imposed deadline, but to no avail. MS NOW reported:

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has been restored to its original name.

President Donald Trump’s name was officially cleared from the marble façade of the storied cultural institution on Saturday, the Kennedy Center said, after last-minute attempts by the Trump administration to delay a federal judge’s ruling that the name cannot be changed.

There’s still some legal wrangling on the horizon, but at this point, it’s worth pausing to note how exactly the Kennedy Center was restored to its legal name.

On Friday, a crowd assembled to watch crews remove Trump’s name from the wall, and while I wasn’t personally there, by all accounts, the audience was prepared to celebrate a good show. The Washington Post reported, “The atmosphere was festival-like: People brought their dogs, their partners and their children.”....

But as of late Sunday, the public still wasn’t allowed to see the work that had been done.

Workers are adding a curtain obstructing the view of the removal of Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center

— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) 2026-06-13T05:41:32.232Z

The removal of Trump’s name was poised to be a symbolically significant event. The authoritarian-minded leader, fixated on self-glorification, tried to force his name onto a memorial for a celebrated assassinated president, a court instead upheld the law, and a crowd assembled to watch the crew precisely because of the indelible images that would soon emerge.

But Trump’s team, no doubt mindful of the circumstances, preferred a literal cover-up.

It’s something to keep in mind the next time White House officials boast about the president and his administration enthusiastically embracing “transparency.”

As for the future of the Kennedy Center, the president’s appointees at the venue announced over the weekend that they had established the Trump Kennedy Center Fund, which will purportedly help raise money for the center. Trump, the appointees added, will be the chairman.

trump is a baby. There is no way that his name will be put back onto this building without an act of congress.