The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted to change the Washington venue’s name to the “Trump-Kennedy Center,” the White House announced on Thursday. The board, handpicked by President Donald Trump, said the vote was unanimous.
According to The Washington Post, the center confirmed the name change and said it was done to recognize how Trump “saved” the center from “financial ruin and physical destruction.”
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“The new Trump Kennedy Center reflects the unequivocal bipartisan support for America’s cultural center for generations to come,” the board wrote in the email.
Trump, who chairs the board, has previously referred to the facility as the Trump-Kennedy Center, according to The Associated Press.
Legality in doubt
It’s unclear whether the board can legally change the center’s name. Georgetown law professor David Super told The Post that under federal law, changing the Kennedy Center’s name would require congressional approval.
“That statute is pretty unequivocal, and I can’t really find any loopholes in it that would allow this to happen,” he told The Post. “So I assume that’s why they’re pushing legislation rather than sending letters to the board or whatever.”
In a post on X, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the name change reflected the “unbelievable” work Trump had done for the center.
“Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump,” she wrote, “and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur.”
President John Kennedy died by assassination in 1963.
