Historic Kennedy Center renamed to Trump-Kennedy Center

Washington's premier cultural center will soon feature a new name.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon, President Donald Trump told reporters that he was 'honored' when he learned that the Kennedy Center's Board voted to add his name to the iconic building.

'The board is most distinguished people in the country. I was surprised by it. I was honored by it. We saved the building,' Trump added.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared earlier Thursday that the Kennedy Center's Board of Directors voted unanimously rebrand the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center in a move that is expected to outrage DC's arts community and Democrats nationwide.

Kennedy Center's Vice President of Public Relations Roma Daravi told Daily Mail that President Trump '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,' Daravi added.

'No one is going to call it the Trump-Kennedy Center. No one,' posted one liberal influencer with a X following of over 1 million. 

'The most petty, envious man alive ... is destroying another national institution,' griped another Brooklyn-based Democrat.  

The center will now be formally known as The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. 

During the Kennedy Center Honors earlier this month, Trump himself was asked by reporters if the entire Kennedy Center should bear his name.

He responded at the time that the decision should be left up to the institution's board.

Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell told the Daily Mail earlier this month that Trump's real estate background saved the 54-year-old landmark from demolition.

'When I arrived at our building, people and our engineers said we should tear down the Kennedy Center, completely start over, and go to Congress and ask for massive amounts of money,' Grenell said.

Grenell took Trump on a tour to assess the damage firsthand. 'We went downstairs, I showed him the sewer system that is collapsing,' he said.

Unlike the controversial decision to tear down the East Wing of the White House, Trump opted to save the Kennedy Center.

'I can save it,' he told Grenell, choosing renovation over demolition. Trump asked Congress for $250 million for the project in the 'One Big Beautiful' bill that passed just before the bicameral July 4 recess.

Moments before making history as the first sitting president to host the Kennedy Center Honors, Trump told reporters the Center 'could never be built again.'

'It's got three massive stages—dance, theater, and the place we will be in tonight. There's really nothing like it in the country,' Trump said.

The Center's signature events are tied to prime opportunities to raise money for the venue and it's programs.

This year's  Kennedy Center Honors raised 'a record $23 million ... 'nearly doubling the $12.7 million raised last year under President Joe Biden,' per Fox News.

The haul was also the largest in history, according to the report.

Grenell told the Daily Mail earlier this year ahead of the National Symphony Orchestra's annual fundraising gala that over $2.5 million was raised for the group, which was more than $1 million above the previous NSO galas.

The Kennedy Center's press team also told the Daily Mail that $131 million in total has been raised under Grenell's leadership.

Trump's Kennedy Center takeover has also become the center of heated political debate, drawing varied reactions from the city's arts community regarding recent changes in leadership and direction.

The Kennedy Center Honors were the latest step in showcasing the Center's revival in the Trump era, with the president himself hosting the awards show.

Further name changes could also be coming to the Center, as an amendment was made to a funding legislation which proposes renaming the opera house after First Lady Melania Trump, who serves as the Honorary Chair of the Center's Board of Trustees.

The move was spurred by Republican Congressman Mike Simpson of Idaho, who is Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee.

'Naming a theater after her is an excellent way to recognize her appreciation for the arts,' said Rep. Simpson at the time.

The measure was approved by the Simpson's committee with a vote of 33 to 28. Appropriations funding for the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies has still not been passed.