The board of trustees of the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, has voted unanimously to rename the once-prestigious venue as “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
CNN reports that vote by the Kennedy Center board, which consists of members handpicked by Donald Trump, took place on Thursday morning. Trump, who himself serves as chairman of the board, was present for the vote.
“The unanimous vote recognizes that the current Chairman saved the institution from financial ruin and physical destruction. The new Trump Kennedy Center reflects the unequivocal bipartisan support for America’s cultural center for generations to come,” Kennedy Center spokeswoman RomanDaravi said in a statement.
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Even with the public proclamation, it does not appear the board has the legal authority to change the center’s name. As Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News notes, only Congress has the authority to formally rename the building. Then again, when during Trump 2.0 has Congress shown any backbone?
Since retaking office in January, Trump has made a point of reshaping the Kennedy Center in his likeness, firing board members, appointing himself chair, canceling programming he deemed “woke,” announcing renovations aimed at restoring its “prestige and grandeur,” and even hand-selecting the recipients of the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors.
Based on reported data, however, the results of Trump’s efforts aren’t paying off: a recent report from the Washington Post found a 40% decline in seats sold and a 50% drop in total revenue under Trump’s leadership.