Board Adds Trump’s Name to the Kennedy Center
President Trump walks on stage of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Goodbye, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Hello, Trump–Kennedy Center—at least according to the board selected by President Trump to oversee the Washington, D.C., arts institution.
On Thursday, the board voted unanimously to rename the facility, NBC News reported. However, The Washington Post noted that the legality of the move is unclear and that congressional approval may be required.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the decision on social media, saying the board acted “because of the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building.”
Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president for public relations, confirmed the unanimous vote in an email to The Washington Post. She said the decision honors Trump, who currently serves as board chairman, for preventing “financial ruin and physical destruction” at the center.
Officials did not immediately point to any specific legal authority allowing the name change. The institution was established by federal law and has long been known simply as the Kennedy Center. President Trump has recently used the name “Trump–Kennedy Center” in public remarks.
The proposed change has drawn criticism from some quarters. Maria Shriver, niece of President John F. Kennedy, sharply criticized the idea when it began circulating earlier this year. Calling it “insane,” she said it made her “blood boil,” describing the move as “ridiculous, petty, and small-minded,” according to the Associated Press.
The vote comes after a turbulent year at the Kennedy Center, marked by a major leadership overhaul ordered by President Trump in February, followed by a series of staff firings and resignations.
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