Trump’s Name Added to the Kennedy Center Building One Day After Controversial Vote 

President Donald Trump’s name was officially added to exterior signage at the Kennedy Center on Friday, Dec. 19, following a vote by the venue’s board that has since sparked controversy.

Photos from outside the performing arts complex — located along the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. — showed crews installing new lettering that reads “The Donald Trump and” above the building’s longstanding name: “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday, Dec. 18, that the Kennedy Center’s board had “voted unanimously” to rename the facility the “Trump-Kennedy Center.”

But Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board, disputed that characterization in a post on X. Beatty wrote that she and others opposed to the change were muted during the conference call and were not allowed to express their objections.

“For the record. This was not unanimous. I was muted on the call and not allowed to speak or voice my opposition to this move,” Beatty wrote. “Also for the record, this was not on the agenda. This was not consensus. This is censorship.”

In a video message, Beatty added that Congress should have a role in the matter, noting that the Kennedy Center was established by Congress. She argued the vote reflected an effort to bypass legal guardrails and limit public input.

Several members of the Kennedy family also criticized the decision after Leavitt’s announcement. Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy, echoed Beatty’s account of the vote in a post on X, writing that microphones were muted and the meeting’s vote was not unanimous.

Schlossberg also referenced his recently announced congressional campaign, saying he had been told Trump was “explicitly motivated” to act in response to his run. In a separate post on Instagram, he urged supporters to back his campaign and said he would not be silenced.

Schlossberg has previously argued that adding Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center conflicts with federal law. He cited Public Law 88-260, which establishes the Kennedy Center as a memorial to President Kennedy. Earlier this year, Schlossberg shared an image of a provision 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 said the statute’s meaning is straightforward and bars the type of change now underway.

Maria Shriver, the daughter of JFK’s sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver, also condemned the renaming in a social media post. She described her uncle as deeply committed to the arts, culture, and education, and said the memorial was created to honor that legacy. Shriver called it unacceptable for a sitting president to place his name ahead of Kennedy’s, and warned that such a move could set a precedent for renaming other national landmarks.

Shriver further urged Americans to pay attention, calling the change undignified and unsettling.

In response, Richard Grennell, the interim president of the Kennedy Center, pushed back on X. He claimed the venue had been deteriorating and accused Shriver and her family of failing to help, saying Trump stepped in to “save it” and arguing that she should be grateful.