As President Trump and his hand-picked allies continue to assert their power over the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, it was announced that the institution would be renamed after Trump. However, that announcement is getting significant pushback, including by members of the Kennedy family, who are calling out Trump for dishonoring the late president and attempting to violate the law in changing the organization’s name.

Trump allies vote to add Trump’s name to Kennedy Center

On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that “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.” Leavitt congratulated President Trump and, oddly, also congratulated the late President Kennedy “because this will be a truly great team long into the future!

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…— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) December 18, 2025

Trump himself responded to the news, telling reporters, “I was honored by it. The board is most distinguished people in the country. I was surprised by it. I was honored by it. We saved the building.”.

Q: What's your reaction to the Kennedy Center being renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center?Trump: The board is most distinguished people in the country. I was surprised by it(Trump is chair of the board, which he appointed & stocked with allies & donors)pic.twitter.com/rXWXJgKIdx— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) December 18, 2025

The notion that Trump was surprised by the name change decision seems unlikely, given that the president replaced much of the center’s board with loyalists and personally assumed control of many of the duties of the center, including the annual Kennedy Center Honors. The idea of renaming the center after Trump has been floated for some time, with Trump himself joking about the prospect in the past. But the decision by Trump’s allies is not the final word on the matter.

Congresswoman, Kennedy family pushes back against name change

Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board, pushed back against the narrative being pushed about the name change. “For the record. This was not unanimous. I was muted on the call and not allowed to speak or voice my opposition to this  move,” Congresswoman Beatty posted on social media, noting that others were also silenced from raising objections during the call. “Also for the record, this was not on the agenda. This was not consensus. This is censorship.”

For the record. This was not unanimous. I was muted on the call and not allowed to speak or voice my opposition to this  move. Also for the record, this was not on the agenda. This was not consensus. This is censorship. https://t.co/D1zGV7xiWV pic.twitter.com/npNvSIy6sV— Rep. Joyce Beatty (@RepBeatty) December 18, 2025

Members of the Kennedy family also pushed back against the name change, forcefully arguing that it is both disrespectful and illegal. Former Congressman Joe Kennedy III, a nephew of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr and grandnephew of President Kennedy, called out the center’s board for lacking the authority to rename the institution. “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.

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. https://t.co/VpZhNvx7So— Joe Kennedy III (@joekennedy) December 18, 2025

Journalist Maria Shriver, the daughter of Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy and niece of the former president, posted a long note blasting the name-changing move. “The Kennedy Center was named after my uncle, President John F Kennedy. It was named in his honor. He was a man who was interested in the arts, interested in culture, interested in education, language, history,” Shriver posted. “It is beyond comprehension that this sitting president has sought to rename this great memorial dedicated to President Kennedy.” She speculated that “Next thing perhaps he will want to rename JFK Airport, rename the Lincoln Memorial, the Trump Lincoln Memorial. The Trump Jefferson Memorial. The Trump Smithsonian. The list goes on.”

She continued, “Can we not see what is happening here? C’mon, my fellow Americans! Wake up! 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 somone can’t stoop any lower, down they go…”

The Kennedy Center was named after my uncle, President John F Kennedy. It was named in his honor. He was a man who was interested in the arts, interested in culture, interested in education, language, history. He brought the arts into the White House, and he and my Aunt Jackie… pic.twitter.com/wcGjTp2uqa— Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) December 18, 2025

The move by Trump’s allies to add the president’s name to the Kennedy Center is not surprising. It represents the latest example of Trump and his associates ignoring normal processes and even the will of Congress to aggrandize the president and push his agenda. While Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center has rapidly transformed the organization, this latest move is getting major pushback from a number of circles, including members of the center’s board, the late president’s family and the plain text of the law that created the organization.
The post Kennedys React To Kennedy Center Name Change For Trump: ‘Obsessive,’ ‘Downright Weird’ appeared first on Blavity.



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