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President Donald Trump\u2019s\u00a0handpicked board\u00a0voted Thursday to rename Washington\u2019s leading performing arts center as the Trump Kennedy Center, the White House said, in a move that made Democrats fume, saying the board had overstepped its legal authority.<\/p>\n
Congress named the center after President John F. Kennedy in 1964, after his assassination. Donald A. Ritchie, who served as Senate historian from 2009-2015, said that because Congress had first named the center it would be up to Congress to \u201camend the law.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richie said that while Trump and others can \u201cinformally\u201d refer to the center by a different name, they couldn\u2019t do it in a way \u201cthat would (legally) stick.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the board did not wait for that debate to play out, immediately changing the branding on its website to reflect the new name.<\/p>\n
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters that legislative action was needed, \u201cand we\u2019re going to make that clear.\u201d The New York Democrat is an ex officio member of the board because of his position in Congress.<\/p>\n
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the vote on social media, attributing it to the \u201cunbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building. Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump, a Republican who\u2019s chairman of the board, said at the White House that he was \u201csurprised\u201d and \u201chonored\u201d by the vote.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe board is a very distinguished board, most distinguished people in the country and I was surprised by it and I was honored by it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Trump had already been referring to the center as the \u201cTrump Kennedy Center.\u201d Asked Dec. 7 as he walked the red carpet for\u00a0the Kennedy Center Honors program\u00a0whether he would rename the venue after himself, Trump said such a decision would be up to the board.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, Trump talked about a \u201cbig event\u201d happening at the \u201cTrump Kennedy Center\u201d before saying, \u201cexcuse me, at the Kennedy Center,\u201d as his audience laughed. He was referring to\u00a0the FIFA World Cup soccer draw\u00a0for 2026, in which he participated.<\/p>\n
A name change won\u2019t sit well with some Kennedy family members.<\/p>\n
Maria Shriver, a niece of John F. Kennedy, referred to the legislation introduced in Congress to rebrand the Kennedy Center as the Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts as \u201cinsane\u201d in a social media post in July.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes my blood boil. It\u2019s so ridiculous, so petty, so small minded,\u201d she wrote. \u201cTruly, what is this about? It\u2019s always about something. \u2018Let\u2019s get rid of the Rose Garden. Let\u2019s rename the Kennedy Center.\u2019 What\u2019s next?\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump earlier this year turned the Kennedy-era Rose Garden at the White House into a patio by removing the lawn and laying down paving stones.<\/p>\n
Another Kennedy family member, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., serves in Trump\u2019s Cabinet as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n
Trump showed scant interest in the Kennedy Center during his first term as president, but since returning to office in January he has\u00a0replaced board members\u00a0appointed by Democratic presidents with some of his most ardent supporters, who then elected him as board chairman.<\/p>\n
He also has criticized the center\u2019s programming and its physical appearance and has vowed to overhaul both.<\/p>\n
Trump secured more than $250 million from the Republican-controlled Congress for renovations of the building.<\/p>\n
He\u00a0attended opening night\u00a0of the musical \u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables,\u201d and last week he served as host of the Kennedy Center Honors program after\u00a0not attending the show\u00a0during his first term as president. The awards program is scheduled to be broadcast by CBS and Paramount+ on Dec. 23.<\/p>\n
Sales of subscription packages are said to have declined since Trump\u2019s takeover of the center, and several touring productions, including \u201cHamilton,\u201d have canceled planned runs there. Rows upon rows of empty seats have been seen in the Concert Hall during performances by the National Symphony Orchestra.<\/p>\n
Some performers, including actor Issa Rae and musician Rhiannon Giddens, have scrapped scheduled appearances, and Kennedy Center consultants including musician Ben Folds and singer Ren\u00e9e Fleming have resigned.<\/p>\n
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AP writer Hillel Italie contributed to this story from New York.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#Kennedy #Center #Trump #Kennedy #Center #White #House<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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