The Trump-appointed “board” of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has voted to rename the iconic Washington, D.C., institution The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, a move that has sparked a fierce debate regarding the limits of executive power over national landmarks.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the decision on Thursday, December 18, saying the board voted unanimously to approve the change because of “the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building.” Speaking later from the Oval Office, Trump said he was “surprised” and “honored” by the vote. “We saved it,” he said of the center. “It was really in bad shape, physically.”
The vote followed a sweeping overhaul of the Kennedy Center’s leadership earlier this year. Shortly after returning to office, Trump removed existing board members and replaced them with allies, who then voted to make him chair. His close adviser Richard Grenell, an openly gay man, was named board president, and several administration officials and political allies now serve as trustees.
While the White House described the vote as unanimous, that claim was disputed. Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex-officio board member, said she was prevented from participating. “This was not unanimous,” Beatty said. “I was muted on the call and not allowed to speak or voice my opposition to this move.”
Members of the Kennedy family also challenged the process and the board’s authority. Jack Schlossberg, a grandson of President John F. Kennedy, said “vote NOT unanimous” and claimed microphones were muted during the meeting. Joe Kennedy III, a former congressman and grandnephew of the late president, said the Kennedy Center “is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law,” adding, “It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial.”
Legal experts and lawmakers raised similar concerns. The Kennedy Center was designated by Congress in 1964 as a memorial to President Kennedy, and senior Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, said federal law prohibits changing its name without congressional approval. They also criticized the meeting, citing a lack of transparency.
Despite the legal uncertainty, the name change is already visible. New signage bearing the words “The Donald J. Trump and” had been added above the pre-existing The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts signage and had been affixed to the building’s exterior less than 24 hours after the so-called vote, and the updated name also appears on the center’s website.
The controversy comes amid broader turmoil at the institution. Since Trump assumed control, multiple artists have canceled performances, staff members have departed, and local reporting has noted declining ticket sales. Trump has defended his involvement, saying he is reshaping the center and rejecting what he has called “woke” programming.
Whether the new name will withstand legal or congressional scrutiny remains unresolved. For now, the dispute has turned one of the nation’s most prominent cultural institutions into another flashpoint in the ongoing debate over politics, power, and public memory.