he was assassinated in 1963<\/a>. The White House said Thursday that the Kennedy Center\u2019s board, which is chaired by Trump, voted to add his name, referring to the venue as the \u201cTrump-Kennedy Center.\u201d On Friday, workers added Trump\u2019s name above the Kennedy Center\u2019s existing exterior sign, and the venue also updated its website branding to reflect the change.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDemocrats, family members of Kenndey\u2019s, and arts advocates condemned the move, arguing the board lacks authority to rename the federally designated memorial without congressional action and that Trump isn\u2019t an ally of the arts, notably having canceled National Endowment for Arts (NEA) grants earlier this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDemonstrators protest at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, a day after a Trump-appointed board voted to add President Donald Trump\u2019s name to the Kennedy Center on December 20 in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat To Know<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nVan Hollen joined protesters opposing the renaming of the Kennedy Center on Saturday, telling the crowd the addition of Trump\u2019s name on the building is a \u201cdesecration of the Kennedy Center.\u201d Protestors held signs saying \u201cWe are the Kennedy Center,\u201d \u201cTrump is no J.F.K.,\u201d and \u201cMake Art, Fight Fascists,\u201d among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The senator continued: \u201cMark my words, whether it\u2019s a matter of weeks or months, Donald Trump\u2019s name will come down off the Kennedy Center.\u201d He said the move was \u201cblatantly illegal\u201d and the board should be \u201cheld accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
20 U.S. Code 76j outlines the board\u2019s duty restricts the center to be a memorial just for Kennedy, with a subclause stating, \u201cNo 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.\u201d It outlines exceptions as plaques acknowledging a gift from a foreign country, \u201cplaque on a theater chair or a theater box acknowledging the gift of such chair or box,\u201d and inscriptions on certain walls regarding major contributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The senator said he and his congressional colleagues \u201cwill be working to reverse this, the day we get back we can put an amendment on the interior appropriations bill to reverse this outrage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Van Hollen criticized how the change was made and the idea of attaching Trump\u2019s name to the performing arts center, saying, \u201cDonald Trump does not believe in the arts, and we will not allow him to soil the name of the Kennedy Center.\u201d The center promotes various music, opera, drama, dance, and performing arts productions, as well as educational and cultural programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The senator added: \u201cThis is part of a larger story to protect our democracy and the rule of law,\u201d noting that Trump\u2019s name has also been added to the U.S. Institute of Peace and the demolition of the White House\u2019s East Wing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What People Are Saying<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nMaria Shriver, former first lady of California and JFK\u2019s niece, wrote in a December 18 X post, in part: <\/strong>\u201cThe 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\u2019s name is acceptable. It is not.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRepresentative Steve Cohen, a Tennessee Democrat, wrote in a December 18 X post: <\/strong>\u201cRenaming 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\u2019s\u2014or even alongside it\u2014is obscene. The Kennedy Center should never be renamed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Kennedy Center wrote in an X post on December 19: <\/strong>\u201cToday, we proudly unveil the updated exterior designation\u2014honoring 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nKerry Kennedy, the late president\u2019s niece and human rights activist, wrote in a X post on December 19 with a photo of Trump\u2019s name on the Center<\/strong>: \u201cThree years and one month from today, I\u2019m going to grab a pickax and pull those letters off that building, but I\u2019m going to need help holding the ladder. Are you in? Applying for my carpenter\u2019s card today, so it\u2019ll be a union job!!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nMichael Steele, former RNC chair and co-host of MS Now\u2019s The Weekend<\/em>, said in an X post about the renaming on December 19<\/strong>: \u201cSo pathetic. Such a lonely, desperate cry for acceptance. A craving not even his family can satisfy\u2014he has to appropriate another family\u2019s legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nErika Donalds, the wife of Florida Republican Representative Byron Donalds, wrote on X December 18<\/strong>: \u201cPOTUS 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!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Happens Next<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nCongress will be back in session in January.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, denounced the Kennedy Center\u2019s renaming to include President Donald Trump, telling protesters at a rally Saturday that he would seek to \u201creverse this\u201d through an \u201camendment on the interior appropriations bill\u201d when Congress returns to session early next year. Why It Matters The center was named to commemorate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":14237,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[3445,2578,2437],"class_list":["post-14236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-usa","tag-amendment","tag-center","tag-senator"],"yoast_head":"\n
Senator vows amendment to remove Trump\u2019s name from Kennedy Center - LISTEN WORLD<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=14236\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Senator vows amendment to remove Trump\u2019s name from Kennedy Center - LISTEN WORLD\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, denounced the Kennedy Center\u2019s renaming to include President Donald Trump, telling protesters at a rally Saturday that he would seek to \u201creverse this\u201d through an \u201camendment on the interior appropriations bill\u201d when Congress returns to session early next year. 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