The White House announced Thursday that Washington’s iconic John F. Kennedy Arts Center will be renamed the “Trump-Kennedy Center” in honor of President Donald Trump.
The extraordinary naming of a major cultural venue in honor of a living president is just the 79-year-old Republican’s latest attempt to stamp his identity on the U.S. capital during his second term.
He also demolished the east wing of the White House in order to install a grand ballroom and sought to build a grand triumphal arch.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Kennedy Center board — which Trump purged of Democrats earlier this year before settling in as president — had “voted unanimously” for the change.
She said it was “because of the incredible work President Trump has done over the last year to save the building. Not only from a rebuilding perspective, but also from a financial and reputational perspective.”
“Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and also to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team for a long time! The building will undoubtedly reach new levels of success and greatness,” she added.
The imposing white monument is named for President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963. The center, located on the banks of the Potomac River, opened in 1971.
Trump has made several references to renaming the center in recent months.
Earlier this month, at the opening of a peace institute that was also renamed in his honor, Trump called it the “Trump-Kennedy Center,” before adding, “Oops, excuse me.”
During his first term, billionaire Trump never attended the annual fundraising gala for the winners of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors because many of those performers strongly opposed his policies.
This time, Trump moved quickly to take over the center, ridding the board of Democratic appointees and ousting its president, part of a broader attack on federally funded cultural institutions he deemed too “woke.”
Trump then handed out the honors himself this year, presenting awards to “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone, disco legend Gloria Gaynor and rock group KISS.
Days earlier, during the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Dec. 5, Trump received a new peace prize from soccer’s governing body and delivered a speech on stage.
