Trump's name quickly added to facade of Kennedy Center
- - Trump's name quickly added to facade of Kennedy Center
Joey Garrison, USA TODAYDecember 20, 2025 at 1:32 AM
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WASHINGTON ‒ The Trump administration wasted no time getting signage up for the newly branded Trump-Kennedy Center.
Less than 24 hours after the Kennedy Center's board of trustees voted to rename the iconic arts institution after President Donald Trump, workers showed up at the building on Friday, Dec. 19, to add Trump's name to its facade.
Signage above the main entrance to the Washington performing arts center now reads, "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts." The center's website and social media sites were also overhauled to reflect the Trump name.
to rename the facility "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted in what they say was a unanimous decision to rename the facility "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."
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Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted in what they say was a unanimous decision to rename the facility "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."
">Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted in what they say was a unanimous decision to rename the facility "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/AtdUkPtjbaK_477exikEww--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/0b1c241852f93160c49ebc7722807365 class=caas-img>Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
">Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/1FrEJoSV0tqsptzGieGGQQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/0ad6c938f929e3926dcfeb3cc2160d83 class=caas-img>Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
">Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/1YmVbU2l7JGxUfoD2eYncw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/5e3924789ff6f0ae598e972be28f92c2 class=caas-img>Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/x8I3UaWcMeG8Ldz24OlqyA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/be2e1cdbc589282f9c7acfe67acd1ea0 class=caas-img data-headline="John F. Kennedy Memorial Center adds Trump to name. See the change" data-caption="
Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
">Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/x8I3UaWcMeG8Ldz24OlqyA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/be2e1cdbc589282f9c7acfe67acd1ea0 class=caas-img>Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/SXQ2aKDe4SX8_wj4QvjHyg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/0454e328622a39000a7fbe66b196ddfd class=caas-img data-headline="John F. Kennedy Memorial Center adds Trump to name. See the change" data-caption="
Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
">Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/SXQ2aKDe4SX8_wj4QvjHyg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/0454e328622a39000a7fbe66b196ddfd class=caas-img>Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
">Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/8cWmc6jTaEC4m6psjF__0A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/a156437df21f789aedb2f11dfd1314d5 class=caas-img>Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
">Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/DnufNB8MjYV8Un7ErVuE6w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/6d3d0c1a104b46a8f3814f5c6f0899ab class=caas-img>Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
">Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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1 / 8John F. Kennedy Memorial Center adds Trump to name. See the change
Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted in what they say was a unanimous decision to rename the facility "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."
The center's board, which Trump chairs, is made up of mostly members handpicked by the president. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the board renamed the facility in Trump's honor "because of the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building."
More: Kennedy Center renamed the 'Trump-Kennedy Center,' White House says
Yet an official name change appears to require action from Congress. A federal law passed in 1964, months after President John F. Kennedy's assassination, established the construction of "a building to be designated as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts." The law did not grant the board authority to change its name.
Workers begin adjusting the name of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Democrats have blasted the name-change. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, one of the board's ex officio members not appointed by Trump, disputed the White House's claim of a "unanimous" vote. Beatty said she was not allowed to speak during the board's meeting, which was conducted by phone, as members voted on the name change.
"As I tried to push my button to voice my concern to ask questions ‒ and to certainly not to vote in support of this ‒ I was muted," Beatty said. "Each time I tried to speak, I was muted."
"Clearly, the Congress has a say in this," Beatty said, referencing the 1964 federal law and calling the name change "just another attempt to evade the law and not let the people have a say."
More: See moments from the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors hosted by Trump
The Kennedy Center, which opened in 1971 in honor of the late 35th president of the United States, serves as the nation's arts and cultural center, offering a wide assortment of concerts, plays and other live acts to paying customers. The facility is owned by the federal government.
Workers begin adjusting the name of the ohn F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
One month into his second term in office, Trump in February terminated the Kennedy Center's board and installed himself as the new chairman while tapping several political allies as new board members. Trump chose Ric Grenell, his envoy for special missions, as the center's president.
The president has promised to transform the center with new upgrades, improve its financial standing, eliminate what he called "woke" programming and bring "Broadway hits" back to the center. Trump has claimed the center declined under "bad management" and characterized a $250 million expansion project before his second White House term as a waste.
Trump secured $257 million for Kennedy Center upgrades in his "One Big Beautiful Bill" law approved by Congress last summer.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's name added to facade of Kennedy Center
Source: “AOL Breaking”
