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 site after a living president is just the latest effort by the 79-year-old Republican to stamp his identity on the American capital in his second term.
He also demolished the east wing of the White House to install a grand ballroom and is seeking to build a grand triumphal arch.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Kennedy Center’s board of directors, which Trump purged of Democrats earlier this year before he was installed as president, had “unanimously voted” in favor of the change.
He said it was “because of the incredible work that President Trump has done over the last year to save the building. Not just from a rebuilding standpoint, but also financially and his reputation.”
“Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump and, likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a great team in the future! The building will undoubtedly reach new levels of success and greatness,” he added.
The imposing white monument is named after President John F. Kennedy, assassinated in 1963. The center, which sits on the banks of the Potomac River, opened in 1971.
Trump has made several references to changing the center’s name in recent months.
Earlier this month, at the dedication of a peace institute also named after him, Trump referred to it as the “Trump-Kennedy Center,” before adding, “Oops, excuse me.”
During his first term, billionaire Trump never attended the annual fundraising gala for recipients of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors, as many of those entertainers openly opposed his policies.
This time, Trump moved quickly to make the center his own, freeing the board of his 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 this year, presenting awards to “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone, disco legend Gloria Gaynor and rock band KISS.
A few days earlier, at the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw on December 5, Trump received a new peace award from soccer’s governing body and gave a speech on stage.
