Iconic DC venue renamed in honour of Donald Trump by board he apponted

The board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts voted to rename the facility after both the former president and President Donald Trump.

The board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts voted to rename the facility after both the former president and President Donald Trump.

"The Kennedy Centre Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to name the institution The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Centre for the Performing Arts," spokeswoman Roma Daravi said in a statement, adding that the name honours Trump's work at the centre since taking over early in his second term.

The move quickly raised legal concerns as to whether the board has the authority to rename the arts institution, which Congress designated in 1964 as a memorial to the Democratic president, and met backlash from the Kennedy family.

READ MORE: Trump administration moves to cut off transgender care for children

Trump, who was elected chair by a newly constituted board in February, has frequently joked about calling the performing arts centre the "Trump Kennedy Centre." The president's handpicked board approved his wishes at Thursday's board meeting, according to a source familiar with the matter, during which Trump also called in.

At an Oval Office event later in the day, Trump said he was "honoured" and "surprised" by the vote.

"This was brought up by one of the very distinguished board members, and they voted on it, and there's a lot of board members, and they voted unanimously," he said.

By Thursday afternoon, the centre's website header was updated to read "The Trump Kennedy Centre."

"Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X. "The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur."

While the White House said the vote was unanimous, Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio member of the board, said that was not the case.

"I was on that call and as I tried to push my button to voice my concern, to ask questions, and certainly not to vote in support of this, I was muted. Each time I tried to speak, I was muted," she said in a video posted to X.

READ MORE: Trump has an alcoholic's personality: chief of staff

Legality concerns and Kennedy family pushback

Questions remain, however, about the legality of the board's move to rename the building, and members of the Kennedy family condemned the effort on Thursday.

"The Kennedy Centre is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law," Joe Kennedy III, a former congressman and the great-nephew of the late president, said on X. "It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says."

Jack Schlossberg, a Kennedy grandson currently running for the US House in New York, also expressed concerns on social media with reports of muting during the vote.

Congress renamed the arts centre after former President John F. Kennedy in legislation passed after his 1963 assassination, and federal law requires that the board "assure that after December two, 1983, no additional memorials or plaques in the nature of memorials shall be designated or installed in the public areas of the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts."

Experts told CNN that while the board's decision Thursday was likely unlawful, it's unclear whether someone looking to challenge the move would have the legal right – known as "standing" – to even pursue such a case.

"There is absolutely no way they can do this legally," said David Super, a professor at Georgetown Law who specialises in legislation. But, he added, "the administration is not concerning itself with laws unless it has a realistic prospect of getting sued."

Super said it's possible that an employee of the centre could try to bring a case challenging the renaming by pointing to a "reputational harm" that stems from having to put the new name on their resume, which they may claim has the potential to confuse prospective employers.

"I would not be optimistic that a court would accept that case," he said.

The same goes for descendants of the late 35th president, Super told CNN. "If he were living, then he probably could sue, but I don't think it's clear that his heirs would have any right to sue on his behalf," he said.

READ MORE: Trump hurls outrageous slur at female reporter

Maria Shriver, Kennedy's niece, called the effort to rename the memorial after Trump "beyond comprehension" as she spoke of her uncle's efforts to support the arts.

"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 amplified the arts, celebrated the arts, stood up for the arts and artists," she said in a post on X. "It is beyond comprehension that this sitting president has sought to rename this great memorial dedicated to President Kennedy."

Inside Trump's transformation of the arts centre

Thursday's vote marks the latest effort to leave Trump's mark on the Kennedy Centre.

Days after returning to office, Trump announced an aggressive plan to gut the existing board of trustees and oust its chairman, the billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein. Since then, he's led an effort to reshape the institution to his taste: reshaping its leadership, securing multimillion-dollar congressional funding for renovations, and reimagining its programming.

He installed a who's who of loyalists — including new president Richard Grenell, his ambassador to Germany during his first term, who's been re-evaluating programming and targeting it "for the masses." Grenell has cut the existing staff, hired political allies and mandated a "break-even policy" for every performance and facility rental.

Trump has also touted restoration of the building's exterior marble, the interior chairs and "fully" renovated stages, which he says will be complete within a year.

READ MORE: New Epstein photos 'no big deal', says Trump

The changes extend to what's onstage too, as the president has sought to enact a "Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture," saying the "Trump Kennedy Centre" is "not going to be woke."

Trump's impact on the institution was evident earlier this month at the 2025 Kennedy Centre Honours. The president has said he was "98 per cent" involved" in picking the awardees, who ranged from Sylvester Stallone to the rock band KISS and Gloria Gaynor, among others.

Trump on Thursday said that under his administration the centre has seen "record-setting numbers" in donors and previewed plans to get Congress to invest more money in the centre.

"We're saving the building. We saved the building. The building was in such bad shape, both physically, financially and every other way. And now it's very solid, very strong," he said.

READ MORE: More photos from Epstein's estate released

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.