Kennedy Center board holds likely pointless vote to add Trump to name

“I have just been informed that the highly respected Board of the Kennedy Center, some of the most successful people from all parts of the world, have just voted unanimously to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center, because of the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building,” wrote Leavitt on X. Ohio Representative Joyce Beatty, who serves on the board, quickly disputed that account with an X post of her own, writing, “This was not unanimous. I was muted on the call and not allowed to speak or voice my opposition to this  move.” Her post, which also contains a video of her account, continues, “Also for the record, this was not on the agenda. This was not the consensus. This is censorship.” 

Trump overhauled most of the board when he took office earlier this year. On the website for the Kennedy Center, there are 34 names listed on the board as appointed by the President Of The United States, which includes Pam Bondi, Usha Vance, and Trump himself. But there are also about 23 ex-officio members from Congress, including Beatty, Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, Mike Johnson, and Susan Collins. 

Though today’s vote does not have any bearing on the legal name of the Kennedy Center, Republicans in Congress have already been trying to change the name for months. In July, a House Republican put forward a bill to rename the center solely after Trump. Earlier that same month, Republicans put forward a measure to name the Center’s opera house after Melania Trump; however, that doesn’t seem to have moved forward in any official capacity.