Kennedy Center board votes to add Trump's name again despite ruling; area around site to be called Donald J Trump Plaza
US President Donald Trump-appointed board at the Kennedy Center on Thursday voted in favour of adding his name to the site again, despite a district court ruling against the move. The name change, proposed by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, would also rename the area around the center.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts board recently voted to add United States President Donald Trump's name back to the building and rename its physical site President Donald J. Trump Plaza. The board's decision, taken during a two-hour Zoom meeting, faced strong opposition from Democrat Joyce Beatty, who argued that the move was a transparent attempt to bypass a court ruling.
Beatty claimed the change violated federal statutes and criticized the decision as an effort to satisfy Trump's vanity. A district judge had previously ordered the removal of Trump's name in May 2026, stating that the Kennedy Center must bear his name only with congressional approval. Trump's administration had previously added the president's name to the center's facade, but the move was met with legal challenges.
Critics, including members of the Kennedy family, have expressed outrage over the decision to rename the center and close it for renovations.
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