A board handpicked by President Donald Trump voted Thursday to rename the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts as the Trump–Kennedy Center, inserting the sitting president’s name alongside one of the nation’s most revered political legacies.
Within hours, the centre’s website reflected the change — even as critics warned the board may have raced ahead of the law.
Congress named the Kennedy Center in 1964, following President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and legal historians say only Congress can formally alter that designation. But Trump, who chairs the board after reshaping it with loyalists since returning to office, welcomed the vote as an “honour,” saying he was surprised by the decision.
But the board did not wait for that debate to play out, immediately changing the branding on its website to reflect the new name.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters that legislative action was needed, “and we’re going to make that clear.” The New York Democrat is an ex officio member of the board because of his position in Congress.
“The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to name the institution the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” said Roma Daravi, the institution’s public relations vice-president.
She said the vote recognised that Trump saved the centre from “financial ruin and physical destruction,” a pair of claims denied by the venue’s ousted leadership. “The new Trump Kennedy Center reflects the unequivocal bipartisan support for America’s cultural centre for generations to come,” Daravi said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the vote on social media, attributing it to the “unbelievable work” Trump has done on the centre since he returned to office in January.
Trump, a Republican who chairs the board, said at the White House that he was “surprised” and “honoured” by the vote. “The board is a very distinguished board, most distinguished people in the country and I was surprised by it and I was honoured by it,” he said.
Trump had already been referring to the centre as the “Trump Kennedy Center.” Asked December 7 as he walked the red carpet for the Kennedy Center Honors programme whether he would rename the venue after himself, Trump said such a decision would be up to the board.
Earlier this month, Trump talked about a “big event” happening at the “Trump Kennedy Center” before saying, “excuse me, at the Kennedy Center,” as his audience laughed. He was referring to the FIFA World Cup soccer draw for 2026, in which he participated.
A name change isn’t sitting well with some Kennedy family members.
JFK family reacts
Jack Schlossberg, President John F. Kennedy’s grandson, wrote on X, "Microphones were muted and the board meeting and vote NOT unanimous."
The Democrat suggested that Trump was "explicitly motivated to act" due to his New York congressional campaign, adding: "Our campaign represents everything Trump can't stand or defeat."
Former Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.), grandson of former Attorney General and assassinated presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, posted on his social media accounts: "The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says."
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