The board of the John F. Kennedy Center, which was set up by the president of the United States, Donald Trump, voted this Thursday, the 18th, to rename Washington’s main cultural and theater center to the Trump-Kennedy Center, the White House said.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the vote on social media, saying the decision was due to “the incredible work that President Trump has done over the last year to save the building. Not just from a reconstruction standpoint, but also financially and in terms of reputation.”
Trump, a Republican, often refers to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which is named after one of his Democratic predecessors, as the “Trump-Kennedy Center.”
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Trump showed little interest in the Kennedy Center during his first term as president, but since returning to office in January he has replaced board members appointed by Democratic presidents with some of his most ardent supporters, who elected him board chairman.
Asked on Dec. 7, as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony, whether he would rename the venue in his honor, Trump said that decision would be up to the board.
Earlier this month, Trump talked about a “big event on Friday at the Trump-Kennedy Center” before saying, “Sorry, at the Kennedy Center,” as his audience laughed. He was referring to the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw, in which he participated.
A name change will not be well received by some members of the Kennedy family. Maria Shriver, niece of John F. Kennedy, called the legislative proposal introduced in Congress to rename the Kennedy Center the Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts “insane” in a social media post in July.
“This makes me furious. It’s so ridiculous, so petty, so limited,” she wrote. “Honestly, what is it about? It’s always something. ‘Let’s get rid of the Rose Garden. Let’s rename the Kennedy Center.’ What comes next?”
Earlier this year, Trump transformed the Kennedy-era White House Rose Garden into a courtyard by removing the lawn and installing stone slabs.
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Another member of the Kennedy family, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., serves in Trump’s cabinet as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Trump also criticized the Kennedy Center’s programming and physical appearance and promised changes. The American president secured more than $250 million from the Republican-controlled Congress for renovations to the building.
He attended the opening night of the musical “Les Misérables” and last week hosted the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony after not attending the event during his first term as president. The awards ceremony is scheduled to air on CBS and Paramount+ on December 23.
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*With information from Associated Press.
*This content was translated with the help of Artificial Intelligence tools and reviewed by the editorial team of Estadão.
