Kennedy Center no more? Republican bill would rename iconic space for Trump
It was just a few short days ago that Republicans on Capitol Hill floated the idea of renaming the Kennedy Center's legendary opera house after First Lady Melania Trump .
The message from one House Republican? Hold my opera glasses.
Legislation sponsored by Rep. Bob Onder, R-Mo., would strip any mention of the slain 35th president from the iconic performing arts space and rename it the "Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts."
Onder's legislation authorizing the remaining has been dubbed the "Make Entertainment Great Again," or MEGA Act, according to the Heartland lawmaker's official website.
Trump turned heads and prompted an exodus earlier this year when he fired all 18 board members at the Kennedy Center, replacing them with loyalists. In turn, they named Trump the center's new chairman.
In a statement, Onder argued that "you would be hard pressed to find a more significant cultural icon in the past 40 years than President Trump."
The onetime reality TV star's "love and mastery of entertainment has stood the test of time and allowed him to capture Americans' attention for decades," Onder continued.
"I cannot think of a more ubiquitous symbol of American exceptionalism in the arts, entertainment, and popular culture at large than President Trump."
Earlier this month, the Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to a spending bill that would rename the Kennedy Center's opera house the "First Lady Melania Trump Opera House," The Hill and other outlets reported.
U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson , R-Idaho, called the potential opera house designation an "excellent way to recognize [Melania Trump's] support and commitment to promoting the arts," according to The Hill.
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