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The board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted unanimously on Thursday to rename the Washington arts institution to honor both the late President John F. Kennedy and President Donald Trump, according to a statement from the center.
The venue, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, will now be called the Trump-Kennedy Center.
“The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to name the institution The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” center spokeswoman Roma Daravi said in a statement.
“The unanimous vote recognizes that the current Chairman saved the institution from financial ruin and physical destruction. The new Trump Kennedy Center reflects the unequivocal bipartisan support for America’s cultural center for generations to come.”
Since returning to office, President Trump has reshaped the board of trustees by appointing a number of allies, donors and administration officials, including himself as chairman of the board.
Recent appointees include White House chief of staff Susie Wiles; deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino; and Usha Vance, the second lady of the United States. The board also includes several Republican donors and philanthropists, including Allison Lutnick, the wife of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trump adviser Sergio Gor.
The center was established in 1958 as a national cultural institution and was renamed in Kennedy’s honor following his assassination in 1963. The building opened in 1971 along the Potomac River and has since served as a premier venue for theater, dance, classical music, jazz and popular performances.
The Kennedy Center operates as a public-private partnership, receiving federal funding for building maintenance while relying largely on private donations and ticket sales for programming.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt praised the decision in a post on X.
“I have just been informed that the highly respected Board of the Kennedy Center, some of the most successful people from all parts of the world, have just voted unanimously to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center, because of the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building,” she wrote.
“Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation. Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future!” she added. “The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur.”
