Kennedy Center Board Votes to Rename Venue Trump-Kennedy Center in Unanimous Decision
The Kennedy Center board of trustees voted unanimously Wednesday evening to rename the performing arts venue the “Trump-Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.”
Im just gonna sit with that for a second.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts – named for an assassinated president whose legacy includes the Space Race, the Peace Corps, and dying for his country – will now share billing with Donald Trump. A sitting president who appointed all the trustees currently on the board.
According to statements from the board, the renaming honors Trumps “unprecedented commitment to the arts” and his administrations support for the venue. The White House released a statement calling the decision “a great honor” and noting that “President Trump has always believed in making Americas cultural institutions the best in the world.”
Look I’ve covered Washington for decades now. Ive seen institutions bend. Ive seen norms shattered. Ive seen things I never thought I’d see. But something about this one really got to me.
The Kennedy Center opened in 1971. It was conceived as a living memorial to JFK. Every president since Nixon has attended performances there. Every administration has supported its mission. Its been one of the few truly nonpartisan cultural spaces in a town that has none. We’ve seen institutions tested before but this feels different.
Was it always going to be named Kennedy forever? I dont know. Nothing lasts forever. But renaming it for a sitting president – the same president who appointed the board making the decision – feels like something different.
The Kennedy family has not publicly commented. Neither has the Democratic National Committee. Several prominent arts organizations have issued statements ranging from “concerned” to “deeply troubled.”
From a legal standpoint theres nothing improper here. The board has the authority to make this decision. Congress technically would need to approve any formal name change to federal property, but the venue can brand itself however it wants.
From an optics standpoint? An assassination memorial sharing a name with a man who… look I dont even know how to finish that sentence in a way that sounds sane.
The name change takes effect January 1st. The Kennedy part stays – for now. But we all know how these things go. First its hyphenated. Then its just the new name. Then people forget there ever was an old one.
John F. Kennedy deserved better.
