The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will soon carry a new name honoring President Donald Trump, according to a Thursday, Dec. 18 announcement from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
In a post on X, Leavitt said the venue — dedicated in 1964 as a “living memorial” to President John F. Kennedy — would be renamed the “Trump-Kennedy Center.” She attributed the decision to a unanimous vote by the center’s board.
Leavitt said she had been told the board voted to change the name in recognition of what she described as Trump’s efforts “saving the building,” citing reconstruction work, improved finances and a restored reputation. She also congratulated both Trump and Kennedy, saying the updated name would represent “a truly great team long into the future.”
Speaking to reporters shortly afterward, Trump responded briefly, saying he was “honored” by the vote and repeating that his administration had “saved the building.”
CNN reported the vote took place during a board meeting and said Trump called in during the session, according to a source cited by the outlet.
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A push that’s been building for months
The reported renaming follows earlier efforts in Congress to attach Trump’s name to the performing arts institution. In July, Missouri Rep. Bob Onder introduced the “Make Entertainment Great Again Act,” which would rename the venue the “Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts.” Onder argued the president has “entertained audiences for decades,” pointing to his role on The Apprentice and appearances in films including Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
Around the same period, the Republican-led House Appropriations Committee voted 33–25 on July 22 to advance a separate proposal: renaming the Kennedy Center Opera House for first lady Melania Trump. That amendment was part of a broader funding bill tied to the Interior Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and related agencies for the next fiscal year.
Trump’s leadership changes at the center
Soon after beginning his second presidential term, Trump said he planned to “make the Kennedy Center great again,” naming himself chairman and removing what he described as the center’s “woke” leadership. A new board made up of conservative supporters was installed, and it later voted in December to rename the center, according to Leavitt.
At the time, Trump said he wanted to ensure the institution “runs properly,” adding that he believed some programming had been “terrible” and “a disgrace.”
Trump appeared to preview the renaming idea in August while promoting the annual Kennedy Center Honors on social media, posting: “GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS. They will be announced Wednesday.”
At the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, Trump hosted the event and recognized Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, KISS, Gloria Gaynor and Michael Crawford.
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Legal objections from Kennedy’s family
The prospect of a name change has drawn criticism, including from President Kennedy’s only grandson, Jack Schlossberg, who argued over the summer that such a move conflicts with federal law governing the institution.
Schlossberg cited a federal statute stating that as of Dec. 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.” He wrote that a “plain reading” means “YOU CAN’T DO THAT,” adding that the law “prohibits renaming” the center.
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He also wrote on Instagram in July, “The Trump Administration stands for freedom of oppression, not expression,” arguing the issue extends beyond arts programming. Schlossberg added that Trump, in his view, is “obsessed with being bigger than JFK,” but said he believes “art lasts forever” and that no one can change what Kennedy and U.S. history represent.
The Kennedy Center was established as an interactive memorial to the late president under Public Law 88-260, which helps explain why additional memorials are restricted inside the building. Though plans for a national cultural center in Washington, D.C., existed before Kennedy’s death, the project was redesignated as a memorial in the months after his assassination. Construction began in 1964, and the center opened in 1971.
