Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty sues to remove Trump's name from Kennedy Center
ABC News2 days
Lawmaker Sues Over Kennedy Center Rename to Trump-Kennedy
Is renaming the Kennedy Center a narcissistic power grab, or overdue recognition that honors contributions to the arts?
Above: A new sign reads "The Donald Trump And The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 19, 2025. Image credit: Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Renaming the Kennedy Center is a power grab that disrespects the legacy of a president who actually brought culture to Washington. The move bypasses legal requirements for congressional approval and represents another example of Trump's compulsive need to plaster personal branding everywhere, while contributing nothing of substance to the arts. This ostentatious vandalism turns a dignified memorial into another Trump property, degrading American institutions for personal glorification.
Pro-Trump narrative
The outrage over Trump's name at the Kennedy Center rings hollow from people who stayed silent when the institution fell into disrepair with stained seats and dirty floors under previous leadership. Democrats had no problem renaming hospitals, parks and schools after George Floyd, creating Wikipedia's longest list of name changes, but care about tradition when Trump gets involved. Trump saved the center, and this selective concern about institutional legacy reveals the objection is political rather than principled.
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© 2025 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0
© 2025 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 6.18.0