Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, denounced the Kennedy Center’s renaming to include President Donald Trump, telling protesters at a rally Saturday that he would seek to “reverse this” through an “amendment on the interior appropriations bill” when Congress returns to session early next year.
Why It Matters
The center was named to commemorate the late President John F. Kennedy after he was assassinated in 1963. The White House said Thursday that the Kennedy Center’s board, which is chaired by Trump, voted to add his name, referring to the venue as the “Trump-Kennedy Center.” On Friday, workers added Trump’s name above the Kennedy Center’s existing exterior sign, and the venue also updated its website branding to reflect the change.
Democrats, family members of Kenndey’s, and arts advocates condemned the move, arguing the board lacks authority to rename the federally designated memorial without congressional action and that Trump isn’t an ally of the arts, notably having canceled National Endowment for Arts (NEA) grants earlier this year.
What To Know
Van Hollen joined protesters opposing the renaming of the Kennedy Center on Saturday, telling the crowd the addition of Trump’s name on the building is a “desecration of the Kennedy Center.” Protestors held signs saying “We are the Kennedy Center,” “Trump is no J.F.K.,” and “Make Art, Fight Fascists,” among others.
The senator continued: “Mark my words, whether it’s a matter of weeks or months, Donald Trump’s name will come down off the Kennedy Center.” He said the move was “blatantly illegal” and the board should be “held accountable.”
20 U.S. Code 76j outlines the board’s duty restricts the center to be a memorial just for Kennedy, with a subclause stating, “No additional memorials or plaques in the nature of memorials shall be designated or installed in the public areas of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.” It outlines exceptions as plaques acknowledging a gift from a foreign country, “plaque on a theater chair or a theater box acknowledging the gift of such chair or box,” and inscriptions on certain walls regarding major contributions.
The senator said he and his congressional colleagues “will be working to reverse this, the day we get back we can put an amendment on the interior appropriations bill to reverse this outrage.”
Van Hollen criticized how the change was made and the idea of attaching Trump’s name to the performing arts center, saying, “Donald Trump does not believe in the arts, and we will not allow him to soil the name of the Kennedy Center.” The center promotes various music, opera, drama, dance, and performing arts productions, as well as educational and cultural programs.
The senator added: “This is part of a larger story to protect our democracy and the rule of law,” noting that Trump’s name has also been added to the U.S. Institute of Peace and the demolition of the White House’s East Wing.
What People Are Saying
Maria Shriver, former first lady of California and JFK’s niece, wrote in a December 18 X post, in part: “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 amplified the arts, celebrated the arts, stood up for the arts and artists. It is beyond comprehension that this sitting president has sought to rename this great memorial dedicated to President Kennedy. It is beyond wild that he would think adding his name in front of President Kennedy’s name is acceptable. It is not.
Representative Steve Cohen, a Tennessee Democrat, wrote in a December 18 X post: “Renaming the Kennedy Center for Trump would be a sacrilege. JFK was a martyred, historic US president whose name is synonymous with artistic excellence in America. The idea that Trump would put his name BEFORE Kennedy’s—or even alongside it—is obscene. The Kennedy Center should never be renamed.”
The Kennedy Center wrote in an X post on December 19: “Today, we proudly unveil the updated exterior designation—honoring the leadership of President Donald J. Trump and the enduring legacy of John F. Kennedy. The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
Kerry Kennedy, the late president’s niece and human rights activist, wrote in a X post on December 19 with a photo of Trump’s name on the Center: “Three years and one month from today, I’m going to grab a pickax and pull those letters off that building, but I’m going to need help holding the ladder. Are you in? Applying for my carpenter’s card today, so it’ll be a union job!!!”
Michael Steele, former RNC chair and co-host of MS Now’s The Weekend, said in an X post about the renaming on December 19: “So pathetic. Such a lonely, desperate cry for acceptance. A craving not even his family can satisfy—he has to appropriate another family’s legacy.”
Erika Donalds, the wife of Florida Republican Representative Byron Donalds, wrote on X December 18: “POTUS revived the Kennedy Center, rescuing it from financial ruin, physical decline, and reputational damage caused by years of Democrat mismanagement and liberal control. Renaming it the Trump-Kennedy Center is a well-deserved honor, one of many still to come!”
What Happens Next
Congress will be back in session in January.
