Democratic US Representative Joyce Beatty has sued to remove President Donald Trump's name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Last week, the Kennedy Center board, packed with Trump allies, voted to rename it the Trump-Kennedy Center. Beatty, a Democratic board member, said in her lawsuit the renaming is illegal because a "name change requires an act of Congress." She also claimed she was muted when trying to oppose the vote during the meeting. Beatty said the center was meant to be a "living memorial" to President Kennedy. The lawsuit states, "[I]n scenes more reminiscent of authoritarian regimes than the American republic – the sitting President and his handpicked loyalists renamed this storied center after President Trump." The White House said Trump had "stepped up" by saving the Kennedy Center, improving its finances, modernizing it, and ending "divisive woke programming." White House spokesperson Liz Huston said the board voted "unanimously to rename it the Trump-Kennedy Center," marking a "new era of success, prestige, and restored grandeur." On Friday, Trump's name was added to the building’s exterior and the website logo now reads "The Trump Kennedy Center." The change has faced strong backlash, especially in Washington DC where the center is a landmark. The Kennedy Center was built starting in the 1950s and named after Kennedy by Congress following his assassination in 1963. After taking office, Trump replaced many board members with allies and became chairman himself. His adviser Richard Grenell became board president. The board now has 34 members appointed by Trump and 23 others designated by law. Trump also secured about $257 million in Congressional funding for major renovations, saying the center was in "bad shape." Members of the Kennedy family condemned the renaming. Joe Kennedy III, a grandnephew of JFK, said, "the Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law." He added, "It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says."