The Board of Trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has voted unanimously to rename the facility as the “Trump Kennedy Center.”
In a statement released Thursday, the board announced the institution will now be officially known as “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” The decision followed the newly constituted board’s selection of President Donald Trump as its chair in February, with the name change approved during their Thursday meeting.
The renaming has triggered legal concerns regarding the trustees’ authority to alter the center’s designation, which Congress established in 1964 as a memorial to John F. Kennedy. The Kennedy family has also expressed backlash over the move.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt released a congratulatory statement noting: “Congratulations to President Donald Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future.” The center’s website was updated Thursday afternoon to reflect the new name.