Kennedy Center Board Moves to Rename It the Trump-Kennedy Center – The New York Times
The Kennedy Center board, composed predominantly of Trump appointees, voted to rename the performing arts center the Trump-Kennedy Center, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Representative Joyce Beatty, a Democrat board member, stated she was muted during the call and prevented from voicing opposition to the measure. The center’s legal name—the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts—remains unchanged by federal law, and Congress retains authority to alter official designations.
Trump assumed the Kennedy Center chairmanship after purging Biden-appointed board members and installing loyalists including Susie Wiles, Pam Bondi, Usha Vance, Dan Scavino, Elaine Chao, and Ric Grenell. Trump voted on a measure to rename an institution after himself while serving as board chairman, then claimed the vote was a surprise. House Republicans previously advanced separate proposals to rename the Opera House after Melania Trump and the entire center the Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts.
Under Trump’s leadership, the Kennedy Center has undergone dramatic institutional changes in 54 years. Dozens of employees were fired or resigned, and staffing declined approximately 30 percent according to the center’s human resources head. Unqualified outsiders received top positions within the organization.
Box-office revenue collapsed during Trump’s chairmanship, with ticket sales down approximately 50 percent during a typical October week compared to the same period the previous year, according to internal New York Times data. The institutional deterioration reflects a pattern consistent with Trump’s business approach of affixing his name to properties regardless of operational substance or public benefit.