Trump to be Honored as Kennedy Center Renamed Following Unanimous Board Vote

Workers began adding President Donald Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on Friday, following a unanimous decision by the board of trustees to rename the iconic performing arts venue “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

Large blue tarps covered the building’s facade as crews installed “The Donald” above Kennedy’s name on the exterior signage. By early Friday afternoon, the institution’s website had already been updated to reflect the new name, with its header changed to “The Trump Kennedy Center.”

The Kennedy Center has a storied history dating back to 1958, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the concept for a federally supported national cultural center in the nation’s capital. The project initially stalled until President John F. Kennedy revitalized it in 1962 by appointing Broadway producer Roger L. Stevens as board chair and enlisting the help of former First Ladies Jacqueline Kennedy and Mamie Eisenhower in a $30 million fundraising campaign.

Following Kennedy’s assassination, President Lyndon Johnson signed legislation in 1964 to rename the center after Kennedy as a living memorial to the slain president. For nearly 60 years, it has operated under Kennedy’s name as one of America’s preeminent cultural institutions.

The current renaming comes after significant changes in leadership at the center. In February, Trump was elected chairman of the Kennedy Center board after removing 18 trustees who had been appointed by former President Joe Biden. Under Trump’s leadership, the center has reportedly nearly doubled its fundraising compared to the Biden administration, raising a record $23 million.

“The Kennedy Memorial is not impacted at all,” Kennedy Center vice president of public relations Roma Daravi said in a statement. “Trump raised over $131 million in private and corporate donations and had Congress give $257 million for critical infrastructure needs, all to SAVE this institution. There was over $250 million of deferred maintenance repairs immediately needed.”

During a Thursday news conference, Trump expressed surprise at the honor, saying: “I was honored, but it’s a very distinguished board. [The] most distinguished people in the country. I was surprised by it. I was honored by it. … We saved the building. The building was in such bad shape, physically, financially, in every other way. Now it’s very solid, very strong.”

The decision has sparked controversy, particularly among members of the Kennedy family. Maria Shriver, JFK’s niece, sharply criticized the move, calling it “beyond comprehension” in a social media post.

“It is beyond wild that he would think adding his name in front of President Kennedy’s name is acceptable. It is not,” Shriver wrote on X.

Richard Grenell, Kennedy Center President, responded to Shriver’s criticism, claiming she “ignored the former Kennedy Center for years – she didn’t care when it was falling apart.”

Questions about the voting process have also emerged. Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex-officio board member, released a video message claiming the vote was not unanimous and that she was “muted” when attempting to speak during the meeting. Fox News Digital reported that all board members were invited to attend the vote in person and listen to the meeting, including those who could not vote.

This renaming follows a similar pattern established earlier this month when the U.S. State Department announced that the building housing the U.S. Institute of Peace was officially renamed the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, with “Donald J. Trump” lettering added above the original signage.

The dual naming of such prominent institutions reflects significant changes in the Washington landscape as the Trump administration continues to reshape federal institutions and leave its mark on the nation’s capital.