A plan to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center has sparked a backlash on social media.
On Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the board of the Kennedy Center had voted unanimously to rename the institution the Trump-Kennedy Center, although one board member disputed this.
“Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation,” Leavitt wrote. “Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur.”
But in response, public figures denounced the move, with Tennessee Democrat Steve Cohen calling the proposal a “sacrilege.”
Newsweek reached out to the White House by email to comment on this story outside of normal business hours.
Why It Matters
The center was built and named to commemorate the late President John F. Kennedy after Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Changes to it will cement Trump’s legacy on the American capital but will prove contentious, especially among Democrats who want to preserve Kennedy’s legacy.
What To Know
It comes after Trump fired all the center’s board members shortly after raking office. He replaced the members with allies who voted for him to be chairman of the board. The president then secured some $257 million in funding to renovate the venue.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and second lady Usha Vance were on the board and voted for the move. Ohio Representative Joyce Beatty, who also sits on the board, said she was muted on the call and not allowed to speak.
Writing on X, Cohen wrote: “Renaming the Kennedy Center for Trump would be a sacrilege. JFK was a martyred, historic US president whose name is synonymous with artistic excellence in America. The idea that Trump would put his name BEFORE Kennedy’s—or even alongside it—is obscene. The Kennedy Center should never be renamed.”
Joe Kennedy III, Kennedy’s grandnephew and a former House member wrote: “The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.”
Kennedy’s niece Maria Shriver wrote: “It is beyond comprehension that this sitting president has sought to rename this great memorial dedicated to President Kennedy. It is beyond wild that he would think adding his name in front of President Kennedy’s name is acceptable. It is not.”
She added: “This is not dignified. This is not funny. This is way beneath the stature of the job. It’s downright weird. It’s obsessive in a weird way. Just when you think someone can’t stoop any lower, down they go…”
An account called Protect Kamala Harris, which has over 113,000 followers, wrote: “Congress named it the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and it will stay that name.”
However, the move was celebrated by some of Trump’s supporters. Erika Donalds, the wife of Florida Republican Byron Donalds wrote: “POTUS revived the Kennedy Center, rescuing it from financial ruin, physical decline, and reputational damage caused by years of Democrat mismanagement and liberal control. Renaming it the Trump-Kennedy Center is a well-deserved honor, one of many still to come!”
Trump has also been renovating the White House in D.C. Some supporters have backed the move, noting that other presidents have also altered the property, while others have raised concerns that the changes are unnecessary and harm a historical landmark.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration also renamed the Department of Defense the Department of War in September.
What People Are Saying
Democratic Representative Steve Cohen said in a speech in Congress: “The idea that Donald Trump would want his name to go before Kennedy’s or even with Kennedy’s is a sacrilege. It should not be changed, ever.”
What Happens Next
It is unclear if Trump has the authority to formally rename the building, which was commissioned by Congress.
