The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will now bear the names of two American presidents after its board of trustees voted unanimously on Thursday to rename the establishment “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
The determination, introduced on December 18, 2025, marks a historic renaming of the long-lasting Washington, DC, venue.
The board’s unanimous determination acknowledges Chairman Donald J. Trump’s position in saving the establishment from what Roma Daravi, Vice President of Public Relations on the Kennedy Center, described as “monetary damage and bodily destruction.”
Speaking to Breitbart News on the Kennedy Center Honors, President Trump stated the establishment had been “actually enhanced” and emphasised that his administration had “saved the Kennedy Center.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the information with a publish on X, writing: “I’ve simply been knowledgeable that the extremely revered Board of the Kennedy Center, among the most profitable individuals from all elements of the world, have simply voted unanimously to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center, due to the unbelievable work President Trump has performed during the last yr in saving the constructing.”
“Not solely from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but additionally financially, and its repute,” Leavitt continued. “Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, as a result of this can be a very nice staff lengthy into the long run! The constructing will little doubt attain new ranges of success and grandeur.”
The renaming is offered by the board as reflecting “unequivocal bipartisan help” for America’s cultural heart into the long run and follows practically a yr of considerable adjustments.
In a February Truth Social publish, Trump said that he meant to make the Kennedy Center “GREAT AGAIN,” asserting that he had terminated a number of members of the Board of Trustees who, in his phrases, “don’t share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.” He criticized drag exhibits “particularly focusing on our youth,” declaring, “THIS WILL STOP,” and described the Kennedy Center as “an American Jewel” that “should mirror the brightest STARS on its stage.”
The Kennedy Center broke an all-time attendance file for a public occasion in March 2025 with its “EARTH to SPACE: Arts Breaking the Sky” fireworks present, which drew over 11,000 attendees. A Kennedy Center consultant said that 76% of those that attended had by no means visited the venue earlier than. The occasion was open to the general public and featured a 360-degree rooftop view and interactive experiences.
