Trump's handpicked Kennedy Center board votes to rename it the 'Trump-Kennedy Center'

The board of the Kennedy Center in Washington voted to rename it the Trump-Kennedy Center, a spokesperson for the arts institution said.“The unanimous vote recognizes that the current Chairman saved the institution from financial ruin and physical destruction,” Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president of public relations, said in a statement.

The board of the Kennedy Center in Washington voted to rename it the Trump-Kennedy Center, a spokesperson for the arts institution said.

“The unanimous vote recognizes that the current Chairman saved the institution from financial ruin and physical destruction,” Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president of public relations, said in a statement. “The new Trump Kennedy Center reflects the unequivocal bipartisan support for America’s cultural center for generations to come.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X:"Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur."

The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts building in Washington. Kayla Bartkowski / Getty ImagesThe news prompted swift backlash from some members of the Kennedy family, including some who suggested the change might not be lawful.

Former Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, a grandnephew of the late president, said in a statement: “The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.”