Kennedy Center renamed to honour Donald Trump's ‘unbelievable work’, says White House

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the center’s board had voted unanimously to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center.

Updated on: Dec 19, 2025, 10:45:55 IST

By HT News Desk

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The White House on Thursday said the premier performing arts venue in Washington will be renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center to honour US President Donald Trump's ‘unbelievable work’ in saving the building.

File photo of US. President Donald Trump. (REUTERS)

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took to X to announce that the center’s board had voted unanimously to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center.

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“I have just been informed that the highly respected Board of the Kennedy Center, some of the most successful people from all parts of the world, have just voted unanimously to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center, because of the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building. Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation. 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,” Leavitt wrote on X.

Roma Daravi, a spokesperson for the center, was quoted as saying by news agency AP that the board voted unanimously for the new name: The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.

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The move to rename the center has upset the democrats who say the board had overstepped its legal authority. News agency AP quoted Donald A Ritchie, former Senate historian, saying that because Congress had first named the center it would be up to Congress to “amend the law.” Congress had named the center after President John F. Kennedy in 1964, after his assassination.

Ritchie said that while Trump and others can “informally” refer to the center by a different name, they couldn’t do it in a way “that would (legally) stick.” Without a debate on the name change of the Kennedy Center, the name was changed and reflects on its website already.

Screenshot of the Trump Kennedy Center website with its new name

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said that a name change requires legislative action. “Only Congress can rename the Kennedy Center,” Jeffries was quoted as saying by news agency AP.

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Trump had already been referring to the center as the “Trump Kennedy Center.” On December 7, as he walked the red carpet for the Kennedy Center Honors program whether he would rename the venue after himself, Trump said such a decision would be up to the board.

Earlier this month, he talked about a “big event" happening at the "Trump Kennedy Center” before saying, “excuse me, at the Kennedy Center,” as his audience laughed. He was referring to the FIFA World Cup soccer draw for 2026, in which he participated.

With inputs from agencies

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HT News Desk
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