[ "WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump blasted U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper on Saturday, calling the federal judge an anti‑Trump hater after the judge blocked his renovation plans for the Kennedy Center and demanded the removal of Trump’s name from the venue.", "In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump angrily criticized the judge’s decision that could keep the nation’s premier performing‑arts center closed for up to two years. He also highlighted Cooper’s wife, former prosecutor Amy Jeffress, suggesting she was partly responsible for the ruling, though Trump offered no evidence to support the claim.", "The judge’s order stems from a March 16 vote by the Kennedy Center board, which was widely criticized as unconsulted and poorly timed. Cooper described the decision as ill‑informed and seemingly preordained, noting that the board had not considered its legal obligations before initiating the closure and renovation.", "In addition to halting the renovation, the ruling required the removal of Trump’s name from the center, a decision that the president insisted was driven by the board, not himself. Trump said his name had been added to the venue as a courtesy to a dying institution, a move the former president claimed was misguided.", "Trump’s post also invoked a longer list of perceived injustices, pointing to the Supreme Court’s February rejection of his declared‑weight tariff plan and the ongoing litigation against the Department of Justice over a Biden‑related lawsuit. He expressed a sense of being treated unfairly across a range of legal battles.", "Shortly after returning to office in January 2025, Trump had ousted the previous leadership of the Kennedy Center and installed a hand‑picked board of trustees, appointing himself chairman. He later announced he would relinquish that role on the grounds of the judge’s ruling, indicating his decision to allow Congress to oversee the center from then on.", "Cooper’s ruling also addressed separate lawsuits that were pending against the renovation plans. In late April, the judge held hearings for parallel lawsuits: one was filed by cultural and historic preservation groups; the other by Representative Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat with ex officio authority as a board member via her congressional role. Cooper sided with Beatty’s request but dismissed the cultural group’s challenge.", "The judge’s order also highlighted the board’s overreach by incorporating Trump’s name at the center. Cooper noted that the center’s name, given by Congress, can only be altered by legislative action. He mandated the removal of Trump’s name within two weeks of the ruling.", "In his post, Trump also pointed out that Amy Jeffress’s firm represented E. Jean Carroll, a columns writer who has alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her at a New York department store. Trump blamed the lawyer’s representation as part of the influence behind the ruling.", "The Kennedy Center, named after late Democratic President John F. Kennedy and opened in 1971, is also slated to undergo extensive renovations that would be carried out in a two‑year integration plan that Cooper’s ruling temporarily halted. The center was also featured in the earlier debate about whether the federal government should invest in cultural institutions of this scale.", "Trump’s post did not clarify whether he intends to continue defending the renovation in court; however, he announced he was stepping away from the project, signaling a shift towards Congressional oversight.", "The White House did not immediately respond to report requests about Trump’s movements with regard to the Kennedy Center staff or the nature of his board role in the coming weeks.", "The judge’s decision, coupled with Trump’s heated reaction, illustrates the broader tensions between the former president and the federal judiciary, where political considerations often intersect with structural decisions about public heritage sites. The legal actors involved are expected to engage further if Trump chooses to take the dispute to the higher courts." ]