Republicans in Congress have introduced a bill to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts — a national memorial dedicated to the 35th president — after President Donald Trump, a move that has been met with fierce criticism from the Kennedy family and their supporters.
Missouri Rep. Bob Onder introduced the “Make Entertainment Great Again Act” on July 23, calling for the cultural landmark to be renamed the Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts. The bill comes just days after a separate GOP-backed proposal advanced through the House Appropriations Committee to rename the Kennedy Center’s Opera House in honor of First Lady Melania Trump.
“President Trump has entertained Americans for decades — from The Apprentice to Saturday Night Live to the presidency itself,” Onder said in a statement. “No one embodies the modern American cultural moment more than he does.”
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Onder added that he believes Trump is “a more fitting symbol of American popular culture than John F. Kennedy.”
Built after JFK’s assassination, the Kennedy Center opened in 1971 as a “living memorial” to the late president. Initial plans in the 1950s had called it the National Cultural Center, but Congress renamed it following Kennedy’s death in 1963. The institution is home to major national events, including the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Symphony Orchestra.
The proposed renaming has been met with widespread backlash. Jack Schlossberg, JFK’s only grandson, posted a legal reminder on Instagram last week, pointing to a 1983 statute that explicitly prohibits new memorials or dedications within the Kennedy Center.
“Plain reading of the statute makes clear — YOU CAN’T DO THAT,” he wrote.
Maria Shriver, niece of JFK, also blasted the proposal on X (formerly Twitter), calling it “insane.”
“It’s so ridiculous, so petty, so small-minded,” she wrote. “Let’s get rid of the Rose Garden. Let’s rename the Kennedy Center. What’s next?”
The controversy comes amid President Trump’s broader overhaul of the Kennedy Center. Shortly after beginning his second term, Trump declared his intent to “make the Kennedy Center great again.” He installed himself as chairman, removed much of the previous leadership — calling them “woke” — and appointed political allies, including former ambassador Richard Grenell, as president and interim director.
In June, the president and first lady made a rare appearance at the venue, attending a performance of Les Misérables, reportedly one of Trump’s favorite musicals. They were met with a mix of cheers and boos from the audience.
Trump has also publicly criticized many past performances at the center, calling them “a disgrace.”
“I get reports they were so bad… I didn’t want to go,” Trump said when asked if he’d attended any past shows. “There was nothing I wanted to see.”
As for the Opera House renaming, the committee-approved amendment — which would name it after Melania Trump — is part of a broader funding bill covering the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. The full House has not yet voted on it, and Congress is now on its summer recess.
While Melania Trump currently serves as honorary chair of the Kennedy Center, in line with tradition for sitting first ladies, she notably skipped attending the Kennedy Center Honors during her husband’s first term.
For many, the push to erase the Kennedy name from one of Washington’s most iconic cultural institutions is being seen not just as political rebranding — but as a deliberate dismantling of a legacy.
“They’re literally paving over history,” Shriver said, referencing the Trump administration’s previous redesign of the White House Rose Garden, a space originally refurbished under JFK’s guidance in 1961.
