Kennedy Center begins to add Trump name to facility

The Kennedy Center began updating its signage Friday, a day after the institution’s board voted to update the name to include President Trump.

One image showed a sign outside the building including part of Trump’s name. Images shared online showed a blue tarp draped over the front of the building, where the sign was apparently being reworked. According to The Washington Post, large letters spelling “Trump” could be seen on the floor inside the building.

The move comes after a Thursday decision from the Kennedy Center Board, which the Trump administration said voted unanimously to change the name.

But critics, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), argued it was illegal to change the name without congressional action.

The Center’s interim President Richard Grenell pushed back on that argument.

“The decision of the Trump Kennedy Center Board doesn’t impact the Memorial to Kennedy set up by Congress,” he wrote in a post on the social platform X .

“It’s really shameful how @CNN allows you to use the title ‘reporter’ when everyone knows you are a stenographer for the Democrats,” he added, responding to a journalist’s statement condemning the name switch.

Trump has implemented stark changes to the Center over the course of the year, drawing criticism from some who fear it will have a stifling impact on the institution’s cultural offerings.

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