President Donald Trump's administration returned to federal court on Thursday morning in its ongoing dispute over the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, after a photograph captured aboard the president's helicopter suggested he may be weighing the demolition of the congressionally established memorial.

On Wednesday night, AFP/Getty photographer Brendan Smialowski took pictures of a giant poster board inside Marine One as Trump was landing at the White House. Through the helicopter's windows, the president was clearly seen looking at material that read “Kennedy Center demolish” or “demolishing.”

According to a report by former CBS News reporter Seth MacFarlane, Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) — the only non-Trump nominee remaining on the Kennedy Center board — alerted the judge to the photo, which she argues shows Trump is considering demolishing the building. The images also drew attention on X, including from @KlasfeldReports. The judge was set to take up the matter on Thursday.

Beatty's court filing identifies two developments of concern. The first, she wrote, was Trump's comment to the media: “For the Trump administration, for me, to get involved, and to take on long term, and to carry it, or to raise money to carry it, I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition. Because frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close, it will end up being ripped down.”

The second was Smialowski's photograph.

“Given the emergency nature of this matter and Defendants' 10 a.m. filing deadline for their response to Plaintiff's motion, Plaintiff wanted to make sure the Court and Defendants are aware of this new information,” the filing said.

The dispute centers on Trump's effort to attach his name to the memorial honoring slain President John F. Kennedy, and on the legal limits of presidential power. The memorial was established by Congress, funded in part by Congress, and remains largely under congressional control. That footing is central to why the photographs carry weight in the case: they raise, as Beatty argues, the question of the building's physical future — an issue that goes beyond the name and commemorative items covered by Judge Cooper's earlier rulings. After Trump bulldozed the White House, his renovation projects have drawn significantly greater scrutiny.

Trump moved in February 2025 to remove much of the Kennedy Center's existing board, install allies, and make himself chairman. The new board moved to change programming and leadership, prompting backlash from artists, ticket buyers and some board members. Several performers and companies ultimately canceled appearances, signaling they did not want to be associated with performing at a Trump-named property or for Trump.

Federal Judge Christopher Cooper previously ruled that Congress created the John F. Kennedy Center as a memorial to JFK, and that only Congress — not Trump or a trustee board — can change its name or add a presidential memorial there. Trump was also blocked from adding a plaque bearing his name, a statue of himself, or any other items commemorating himself at the building. The administration's response to Beatty's motion was due by 10 a.m. that morning, putting the Marine One photographs squarely before the judge.