Months after Donald Trump gutted the board at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a.k.a. the Kennedy Center, its board, which was handpicked by the president, has "voted unanimously" to rename the institution the Trump-Kennedy Center, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
In a social media post, Leavitt said the reason for the board's decision was "the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building." She went on to write that Trump had worked on the building's reconstruction, gave it financial help, and helped "its reputation." "Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future!" Leavitt wrote. "The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur."
CNBC reports that this optimistic portrait of Trump's contributions are distorted as ticket sales and staffing have both fallen in 2025.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called the name change illegal. "The Kennedy Center Board has no authority to actually rename the Kennedy Center in the absence of legislative action," he said, per Bloomberg. So did former Massachusetts representative Joe Kennedy III. "The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law," he wrote. "It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says."
Trump cronies vote to rename Kennedy Center after Trump |
