The board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted Thursday to rename the facility after both the former president and President Donald Trump.
“The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to name the institution The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” center spokeswoman Roma Daravi said in a statement.
“The unanimous vote recognizes that the current Chairman saved the institution from financial ruin and physical destruction. The new Trump Kennedy Center reflects the unequivocal bipartisan support for America’s cultural center for generations to come,” she added.
The vote took place during a board meeting, according to a source familiar with the matter, during which Trump called in.
The president, who was elected chair by a newly constituted board in February, has frequently joked about calling the performing arts center the “Trump Kennedy Center,” and it appears his handpicked board has approved his wishes.
Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio member of the board, attempted to object to the vote but was muted. The meeting is now adjourned, the source said.
“Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X.
Days after returning to office, Trump announced an aggressive plan to gut the existing board of trustees and oust its chairman, the billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein. Since then, he’s led an effort to reshape the institution to his tastes.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
