Trump-Backed Board Votes to Rename Kennedy Center, Kennedy Family Members Push Back
Donald Trump’s handpicked board voted Thursday to rename Washington’s premier performing arts venue as the Trump-Kennedy Center, a decision confirmed by the White House that is already drawing backlash from members of the Kennedy family. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, named for the late Democratic president, would now carry Trump’s name alongside Kennedy’s following the board’s vote.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the decision on social media, crediting Trump for what she described as “unbelievable work” saving the institution. She said Trump’s efforts helped preserve the center not only through reconstruction, but also financially and in terms of its public reputation.
Trump, a Republican who currently serves as chairman of the Kennedy Center board, has increasingly referred to the venue as the “Trump Kennedy Center” over the past year. Earlier this month, while speaking about an upcoming international event, he told supporters he would be attending a “big event on Friday at the Trump Kennedy Center,” before correcting himself mid-sentence.
The remark drew laughter from the audience and renewed speculation about whether a formal name change was coming.
When asked directly on Dec. 7 while walking the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors whether he would rename the venue after himself, Trump said the decision would be up to the board. That board has now voted in favor of the change.
The move has not been welcomed by everyone. Maria Shriver, a niece of President John F. Kennedy, previously criticized congressional efforts to rebrand the Kennedy Center as the Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts, calling the idea “insane” in a social media post over the summer. “It makes my blood boil,” Shriver wrote. “It’s so ridiculous, so petty, so small minded. Truly, what is this about? It’s always about something.”
Shriver also pointed to what she described as a broader pattern, referencing Trump’s decision earlier this year to remove the lawn from the White House Rose Garden and replace it with paving stones. “Let’s get rid of the Rose Garden. Let’s rename the Kennedy Center,” she wrote. “What’s next?”
Adding another layer to the family dynamics, another Kennedy relative, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., currently serves in Trump’s Cabinet as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. It remains unclear whether congressional approval will be required to finalize the name change, though Republicans have previously introduced legislation aimed at formally renaming the center.
For now, the vote represents a symbolic shift for one of the nation’s most prominent cultural institutions and underscores Trump’s willingness to leave a personal mark on historic American spaces.
