Kennedy Center Changed Rules Before Adding Trump’s Name
New signage is unveiled to show Trump's name added to the Kennedy Center, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
The Kennedy Center did more than vote to add President Trump’s name to its facade—it first changed its internal rules. In May, the federally chartered performing arts institution revised its bylaws so that only trustees appointed by the president could vote or be counted toward a quorum, effectively sidelining “ex officio” trustees designated by Congress, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. That change paved the way for a Dec. 18 vote by Trump-appointed trustees to rename the venue “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” The new name appeared on the building and the center’s website within a day, prompting legal and political backlash.
Legal experts say the revised bylaws may conflict with the Kennedy Center’s federal charter, which designates ex officio officials—including congressional leaders, the mayor of Washington, D.C., and several federal agency heads—as trustees without distinguishing between voting and nonvoting roles. Past tax filings from the center also listed both presidentially appointed and ex officio trustees as voting members. Former officials told the Post that while ex officio members historically participated in discussions, their votes were not always formally counted, though others say the issue has never been clearly settled. The Kennedy Center’s public relations chief said the May bylaw changes simply formalized long-standing practice and were approved unanimously without objection.
Democrats in Congress and at least one trustee are challenging the name change through legal and legislative efforts. Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex officio trustee, has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the move, arguing that she is a full voting member and that only Congress has the authority to rename the Kennedy Center, which was established as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. Several law professors say there is a strong argument that removing voting power from ex officio trustees undermines the charter’s intent to distribute authority broadly rather than concentrate it among presidential appointees.
Meanwhile, lawmakers have introduced legislation to remove President Trump’s name and say they plan to pursue amendments to federal spending bills to reverse the decision. The controversy has also affected programming, with several artists canceling scheduled performances, including the jazz group the Cookers, who had been set to perform on New Year’s Eve. The Guardian reported that on Tuesday—hours after the Kennedy family announced the death of JFK’s granddaughter, Tatiana Schlossberg—President Trump shared a series of posts on Truth Social from supporters criticizing the Kennedy family for what they described as neglect of the center.
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