Trump seen looking at plans for Kennedy Center demolition

A photograph of Donald Trump appearing to examine plans for the demolition of Washington's Kennedy Center, which he has been blocked from naming after himself, has sparked a backlash from his critics.

The Republican president was seen through the windows of Air Force One late on Wednesday, US time, holding a placard with visible text in red declaring: "Kennedy Center DEMOLIS…"

The rest of the word was obscured by the plane's window frame but Trump has mused repeatedly about razing the Washington landmark.

Below the words is a large picture showing a yellow, heavy construction vehicle scooping rubble.

With his approval ratings in the low 30 per cent range amid discontent over the war against Iran and the rising cost of living, Mr Trump has fixated on getting the Kennedy Center renamed in his honour.

He threatened to tear down the venue after a judge ruled this week that his name could not be added onto the building's exterior, earning the ire of Democratic politicians.

Mr Trump said his administration planned to carry out needed multi-million-dollar renovations, then would have to "subsidise it for years to come".

"I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition because, frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down,"

he said.

Shortly after beginning his second term, Trump installed himself as chairman of the centre, which is named in honour of late president John F Kennedy, a Democrat who championed civil rights before he was assassinated in 1963.

The venue's board, packed with Trump loyalists, voted in December to call it the "Trump-Kennedy" Center and installed signage with his name on it.

A judge ordered that Mr Trump's name be removed from the exterior and overturned the board's decision to rename the institution.

Workers removed Trump's name from the building in June, but scaffolding and tarps have remained ever since.

The Kennedy Center takeover is one of several projects aimed at stamping Trump's brand on the US capital, including lavish gold trim in the Oval Office, a triumphal arch near the National Mall, and a half-billion-dollar ballroom at the White House.

On Thursday, local time, a US judge blocked Mr Trump's immediate efforts to demolish the building, ordering the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days' notice before making any major physical changes to the building.

US District Judge Christopher Cooper said his ruling would "avoid any confusion on that score given more recent events", including the building's sudden closure to the public on Wednesday.

Matt Floca, the Kennedy Center's executive director and chief operating officer, said the building was closed due to "acute risks to public safety resulting from continued structural deterioration" of the aging building.

The building will be closed for at least seven days to "assess existing safety risks in those portions of the main building exhibiting severe structural deterioration", Mr Floca said.

Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and a former member of the Kennedy Center board, has led efforts to block Mr Trump's name from being added to the building.

Ms Beatty had a verbal confrontation with the Republican president on Tuesday during a virtual board meeting.

Ms Beatty's lawyers said in a court filing on Thursday that the board members' "rationale that they are only temporarily closing the Kennedy Center is a plain pretext to justify shutting down the Center permanently. The facts before the Court are deeply concerning".

Congress has allocated $US257 million ($360 million) to cover the repairs, but Trump said they only would happen if the board was permitted to move forward with plans to add his name to the building.

Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, called the dispute a "false crisis".

"Worrying about what [the building] is named is kind of silly,"