A Republican push to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump would violate the federal law that governs the institution, according to multiple former board members and legal experts.
House Republicans recently advanced two measures aimed at rebranding the cultural landmark. One, introduced by Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), proposes renaming the opera house in honor of Melania Trump. A second, more sweeping proposal — the Make Entertainment Great Again Act, from Rep. Bob Onder (R-Mo.) — would rechristen the entire facility as the “Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts.”
However, both measures face steep legal and political obstacles. According to the law that established the Kennedy Center, none of its facilities may be renamed — with the lone exception of the Eisenhower Theater, which was authorized in the 1950s. The Kennedy Center itself was designated as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy following his assassination, and federal code strictly prohibits the addition of any new commemorative names or plaques.
“After December 2, 1983, no additional memorials or plaques in the nature of memorials shall be designated or installed in the public areas of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,” the U.S. code clearly states.
A spokesperson for Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), the top Democrat on the House subcommittee overseeing the Department of the Interior’s budget, emphasized that any name change would require a full act of Congress.
“Legally, they can’t just slap her name on it without congressional action,” the spokesperson told NBC News. “If Republicans can’t pass their budget — which they usually can’t — the Melania Trump renaming provision dies. The only wildcard is whether Trump or his allies try to do it unilaterally, but that would have no legal basis and would almost certainly end up in court.”
Simpson’s office told NBC that the White House and First Lady’s office were unaware of the proposal in advance but later called to thank the congressman. The spokesperson said Simpson was motivated by Melania Trump’s “long-standing commitment to the arts.”
During his presidency, Trump showed little interest in the Kennedy Center and famously skipped the annual Kennedy Center Honors. But in a departure from past practice, he removed the center’s bipartisan board of trustees and appointed former ambassador Ric Grenell as president of the institution. Trump praised Grenell as someone who “shares my Vision for a GOLDEN AGE of American Arts and Culture” and vowed to eliminate “ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA” in the arts.
The renaming push has sparked swift backlash from the Kennedy family.
Maria Shriver, President Kennedy’s niece, blasted the proposals in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “This is insane. It makes my blood boil. It’s so ridiculous, so petty, so small minded,” she wrote. “Truly, what is this about? It’s always about something. ‘Let’s get rid of the Rose Garden. Let’s rename the Kennedy Center.’ What’s next?”
JFK’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, also condemned the idea. In an Instagram post, he said, “The Trump Administration stands for freedom of oppression, not expression. He uses his awesome powers to suppress free expression and instill fear. But this isn’t about the arts.”
“Trump is obsessed with being bigger than JFK, with minimizing the many heroes of our past, as if that elevates him. It doesn’t,” Schlossberg added.
Despite the symbolic nature of the proposals, any official change would require not only full passage through both chambers of Congress but also a reversal of the law that safeguards the Kennedy Center’s commemorative mission — an outcome legal experts say is highly unlikely.
