Trump’s name added to Kennedy Center exterior, one day after vote to rename

Relatives of the late President John F Kennedy slammed the centre’s board, saying the name cannot be changed under law.Published On 20 Dec 2025Donald Trump’s name has been added to the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, just one day after his hand-picked board members controversially voted to rename the arts venue, the first time a national institution has been named after a sitting US president.Workmen added metal lettering to the building’s exterior on Friday that declared, “The Donald J Trump and the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Kennedy Center board votes to rename in honour of Trump, White House sayslist 2 of 4‘Trump-Kennedy Center’: Trump’s name added to venue’s facadelist 3 of 4Who is Susie Wiles? Why has her Vanity Fair interview stirred controversy?list 4 of 4FIFA’s Gianni Infantino faces ethics complaint over Trump peace prizeend of list“Today, we proudly unveil the updated exterior designation – honoring the leadership of President Donald J Trump and the enduring legacy of John F Kennedy,” the centre said on social media.Family members of former President Kennedy, who was killed by an assassin’s bullet in 1963, as well as historians and Democratic lawmakers, have criticised the move, saying only an act of Congress could alter the name of the centre, which was designated as a living memorial to Kennedy a year after his assassination.“The Kennedy Center was named by law. To change the name would require a revision of that 1964 law,” Ray Smock, a former House of Representatives historian, told the Associated Press (AP) news agency. “The Kennedy Center board is not a lawmaking entity. Congress makes laws,” Smock said.A smile lights the face of President John F Kennedy as he is cheered during a speech to a Democratic Party rally in Milwaukee, US, in 1962 [File: AP Photo]The AP reports that the law naming the centre explicitly prohibits the board of trustees from making the centre into a memorial to anyone else, and from putting another person’s name on the building’s exterior.