The Kennedy Center woke up with a new name and a growing political fight around it. After a vote by its board of trustees, the iconic performing arts venue is now being branded as the “Trump Kennedy Center.”
It’s a move that has triggered swift backlash from Democrats, members of the Kennedy family, and legal experts who say the board may not have the authority to make the change stick.
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The name change goes live
The new branding appeared Thursday on the Kennedy Center’s official website following what the center described as a unanimous board vote. Supporters of the move, including the White House and Kennedy Center leadership, say Trump “saved the building” financially, a claim critics dispute.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the vote on X, praising what she called Trump’s “unbelievable work.” She said the building “not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation.”
Trump joined the board meeting virtually from Florida and remained on the call through the vote, according to an attendee who spoke anonymously to The Washington Post. Speaking later at the White House, Trump said the decision caught him off guard.
“Well, I was honored by it. The board is a very distinguished board, most distinguished people in the country. And I was surprised by it, and I was honored by it,” Trump said. “You know, we’ve, we’re saving the building. We saved the building, the building was in such bad shape.”
Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell echoed that framing, writing on X that the rebrand shows a bipartisan commitment to the arts.
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Democrats push back hard
Democrats, however, were quick to condemn both the substance of the move and the process behind it.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the people behind the decision “pathetic.” He argued that the board lacks the legal authority to rename a memorial established by Congress.
“These people are pathetic. They are sycophants. And these are individuals right now who are bending the knee to a loser,” Jeffries said. “They don’t have the power to do it. Only Congress can rename the Kennedy Center.”
The center’s official name, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, is written into federal law dating back to 1964, after President Kennedy’s assassination. Legal scholars have said changing that name would likely require an act of Congress, not just a board vote.
Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio member of the board, said she attempted to raise objections during the virtual meeting but was unable to do so.
“Be clear, I was on that call, and as I tried to push my button to voice my concern, to ask questions, and certainly not to vote in support of this, I was muted,” she said in a video posted on X.
The Kennedy Center responded that all board members were invited to attend the meeting in person and that non-voting members could listen in remotely.
Kennedy family reacts
Members of the Kennedy family also sharply criticized the move.
In a post on X, former Massachusetts congressman Joe Kennedy said the center is a living memorial created by federal law. He compared the rebranding to renaming the Lincoln Memorial.
“It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says,” he wrote.
Other family members echoed that sentiment, arguing that the change undermines the center’s original purpose and legacy.
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The largest hall at the Kennedy Center seats about 2,400 people, with other halls ranging from 300 to 2,300.
A politicized institution
The vote follows a turbulent year at the Kennedy Center. Since returning to office, Trump has overhauled the board, replacing members appointed by Democratic presidents with loyalists and naming himself chairman.
The shakeup sparked resignations, public criticism from artists, and declining ticket sales in several of the center’s major venues, according to reporting by The Washington Post.
Trump has also inserted himself into the center’s public image, hosting this year’s Kennedy Center Honors and repeatedly joking about renaming the institution. They were comments that, until now, were largely treated as rhetorical.
What comes next
Despite the board’s vote and the immediate rebranding online, the legal status of the name change remains unsettled. Experts say Congress would likely need to amend the original statute for the new name to carry legal force.
Democrats tell Axios they’re exploring possible legal and legislative responses, though some acknowledge the fight may not rise to the top of their agenda.
