Trump renames Kennedy Center after himself amid family backlash

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 — US President Donald Trump has renamed Washington’s famed Kennedy Center after himself, following a vote by the institution’s board to dub it the Trump-Kennedy Center.

Trump, who hand-picked new board members earlier this year, installed himself as chairman of the US national cultural centre as part of a push against institutions he deemed too “woke.”

The decision drew swift condemnation from the family of slain US president John F. Kennedy, after whom the arts venue is named. The Kennedy family argued the name could not be changed without congressional approval.

“Can we not see what is happening here? C’mon, my fellow Americans! Wake up!” JFK’s niece Maria Shriver said on X. She described Trump’s move as “beyond wild.”

Former congressman Joe Kennedy III added that the centre was a “living memorial” to his great-uncle and “can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.”

The Kennedy Center, a white-marble landmark on the banks of the Potomac River, opened in 1971. Its full name, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, is set out in federal statute, and Congress created the centre in 1958 before renaming it after Kennedy’s assassination in 1963.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the move, saying the board had “voted unanimously” to rename the centre to honour Trump’s work over the past year in “saving the building.”

“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.

However, Democrats disputed the claim of unanimity. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio lawmaker who retains a seat on the board through a congressional mandate, said she was “muted on the call.”

Trump had previously hinted at the name change and joked about it earlier this month, referring to a “big event at the Trump-Kennedy Center, whoops, excuse me, at the Kennedy Center… Pardon me, such a terrible mistake.”

The renaming is the latest in a string of high-profile Trump initiatives, including a $400-million White House ballroom and a new triumphal arch.

Since returning to office, Trump has also branded new visas, bank accounts, and other honours after himself, and has aggressively reshaped the Kennedy Center by removing Democratic appointees, ousting its president, and packing the board with allies. — AFP