Trump announced this week that ‘friends’ had pushed to rebrand the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a landmark cultural institution, by adding his name to its official title.
Under Trump’s regained control of the board of trustees, a vote was held Thursday that the White House described as ‘unanimous’ to rename the venue the Trump-Kennedy Center.
Critics dispute both the process and substance of the move. Some board members and Kennedy family descendants allege dissenting voices were muted during the vote, and legal experts note that the center’s name is protected by federal law and would require congressional action to change.
Opponents, including Democratic lawmakers and members of the Kennedy family, argue the effort amounts to political branding and undermines the memorial’s original purpose. Congressional leaders have suggested they may challenge the rebranding.
The renaming effort caps months of Trump-era restructuring at the center, including personnel changes and programming shifts that have already drawn protests and cancellations from performers.