The administration of Republican President Donald Trump announced that the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center’s board of directors has moved to rename the facility after the sitting president.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt announced the change on social media Thursday, saying a Trump-appointed board had made the decision earlier in the day.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
“I have received word that the Kennedy Center Board of Directors, which is comprised of some of the most successful people from around the world, has voted unanimously to change the name of the Kennedy Center to the Trump Kennedy Center,” Levitt wrote.
She said the change recognizes the “incredible efforts President Trump has made over the last year to save the building.” Levitt credited the incumbent president with overseeing a “reconstruction” of the facility and strengthening its finances and “reputation.”
However, it is unclear whether the name change will proceed without parliamentary approval.
Opened in 1971 in Washington, DC, this arts center is home to the Washington National Opera and the National Symphony Orchestra. It has seven stages and hosts touring shows and local performances.
The structure was broken down in 1964, a year after Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was publicly assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
Although the idea for a national arts center predates Kennedy, Democratic leaders are credited with supporting fundraising efforts that helped make the project a reality.
On January 23, 1964, Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, signed an act of Congress naming the arts center after the slain leader. Previously, the arts complex was to be called the National Cultural Center.
The Kennedy Center, declared by an act of Congress, will serve as a “living memorial” to the late president. The law states that Kennedy was “particularly dedicated to the advancement of the performing arts.”
“It is only fitting and proper that an appropriate monument be dedicated to the memory of this great leader,” the law reads, adding that no other memorial to Kennedy will be erected in Washington, D.C.
Rethinking the capital
But Trump, a reality TV star and real estate entrepreneur before becoming president, has sought to leave his mark on the nation’s capital, renaming structures and taking on major construction projects.
In October, for example, President Trump demolished the east wing of the White House to make way for a banquet hall. Since taking office in January, he has also hinted at plans to build a Arc de Triomphe in the capital, similar in style to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
Just this month, the U.S. State Department announced that the U.S. Institute of Peace, a think tank created by Congress, was being renamed after President Trump to honor “the greatest dealmaker in our nation’s history.”
The Trump administration forcibly took control of the institute in March, and its leadership over the think tank remains the subject of ongoing litigation. But a federal judge ruled in May that the nonprofit’s foreclosure was “unlawful.”
President Trump has long focused on the Kennedy Center in particular, and changes to the arts center came shortly after the Republican president took office in January.
Just one week into President Trump’s second term, Kennedy Center Director Deborah Rutter has resigned amid rumors of a pressure campaign.
By early February, President Trump announced a purge of Kennedy Center directors, claiming on social media that they opposed his “vision of a golden age of arts and culture.”
“At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., great again,” he said, putting a spin on his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
He added that he will take the helm as chairman of the center’s board of directors, which will oversee the program.
“Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured a drag show that specifically targeted our nation’s youth. This can stop now,” Trump wrote. “The Kennedy Center is America’s jewel, and our stage must reflect the nation’s brightest stars. For the Kennedy Center, the best is yet to come!”
The leadership shakeup was met with protests and cancellations, with touring productions of hit shows such as the musicals “Hamilton” and “Fellow Travelers” being dropped from the Kennedy Center lineup.
Kennedy Center name change
Still, in the months since then, President Trump has repeatedly referred to the arts facility as the “Trump Kennedy Center,” signaling his desire to have his name etched on its marble façade.
He also selected the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, presented annually for lifetime achievement in American arts and culture.
When announcing the winners in August, President Trump alluded with a wink to his petition to rename the Kennedy Center.
“Great Trump/Kennedy Center nominees, oops, Kennedy Center awards,” President Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social.
He also highlighted changes made to the art center’s structure, including painting columns that were previously gold white.
“Great efforts and resources are being spent to restore it to the absolute top level of luxury, glamor and entertainment,” President Trump wrote. “Physically, I had a tough time, but I’m sure I’ll make a big recovery soon!!!”
Some Republicans heeded President Trump’s call to rebaptize the arts center. For example, Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho has introduced a bill that would name the complex’s opera house after First Lady Melania Trump.
Meanwhile, Missouri Rep. Bob Onder has introduced another bill that would erase Kennedy’s name entirely and instead name the arts complex the “Donald J. Trump Performing Arts Center.”
However, this type of proposal met with significant opposition, including from the surviving members of the Kennedy family.
On Thursday, following Levitt’s announcement, President Kennedy’s niece Maria Shriver expressed shock that the arts center’s name might be changed.
“Some things can leave you speechless, furious, and in disbelief. At times like these, it’s better to be quiet. I can’t tell you how long,” she wrote on social media.
When similar proposals were raised in the past, Shriver called the idea “insane” and said it “makes my blood boil.”
Jack Schlossberg, President Kennedy’s grandson and a Democratic candidate for Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, appears to be questioning whether the White House’s announcement is even legitimate.
“Microphones are muted and the board and vote was not unanimous,” he wrote on social media.
Democratic lawmakers similarly voiced outrage over the proposed name change, with some questioning whether it was even legal given the Congressional law that named the building.
Tennessee Representative Steve Cohen, for example, called the effort “very alarming.”
“Renaming the Kennedy Center to include the names of current and former presidents, especially political figures who remain partisan, would undermine the purpose of this institution,” Cohen said in a statement.
“The Kennedy Center should maintain its original identity as a living monument to President Kennedy and a cultural hub for all Americans, not a vehicle for personal or political branding.”
