Congressional Republicans did not use the new name President Donald Trump recently gave the Kennedy Center in a bipartisan spending package announced Monday.
In December, the board—earlier overhauled by Trump and replaced with his allies—voted to rename the memorial to the late President John F. Kennedy to include Trump’s name.
While signage has been added to the exterior of the building to reflect the change, the finality of it is in doubt because a name change requires congressional approval.
Highlights
- Congressional Republicans omitted Trump’s new name for the Kennedy Center in a bipartisan spending package requiring congressional approval.
- The Kennedy Center received $32 million for operations through 2027, but no reference was made to the rebranding with Trump’s name.
- Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty sued to challenge the renaming, alleging board members were muted during the vote on the Trump-Kennedy rebrand.
Republicans did not use the new name in a sweeping spending package
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There was also no mention of the Trump-Kennedy Center in three new bipartisan government funding bills aimed at avoiding another government shutdown on January 30.
The John F. Kennedy Memorial for the Performing Arts was, however, mentioned in the sweeping package, with a designated $32 million for operating costs through September 2027.
The funding bills will be heard on the House floor this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement, and if they are approved by the House and Senate, they will make their way to Trump’s desk for final approval.
A stopgap bill ended the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history on November 12, marking 43 days, after a handful of Democrats sided with the GOP to push it through.
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However, that is only funding the government until January 30, and lawmakers could find themselves on the verge of another shutdown if the new legislation does not pass.
The apparent snubbing of Trump’s new name for the center comes after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed board members unanimously voted for the rebrand.
That claim was disputed by members on the call who alleged they were muted the minute they tried to voice opposition to the move.
Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, who has a seat on the board and claims she was muted, has launched a lawsuit challenging the renaming.
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The new name has been widely criticized by lawmakers and members of JFK’s family, while also resulting in a slew of cancellations at the Arts Center.
Artists such as Wicked composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz have pulled out of scheduled appearances at the center in protest of the name change.
Similar scenes were reported in May of last year after Trump initiated a significant overhaul of the Kennedy Center when he took office.
In early February 2025, Trump removed 18 existing board members, including Chairman David Rubenstein, and appointed himself as the new chairman.
Many of the dismissed board members were appointed during former President Joe Biden’s administration. Before the takeover, the Kennedy Center historically maintained a bipartisan board.
Trump renamed the Kennedy Center after himself last month
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Trump’s new appointments included political allies such as Richard Grenell as interim executive director.
Last week, Schwartz, a three-time Academy Award winner, cancelled hosting the Washington National Opera Gala at the Kennedy Center on May 16.
He said the institution “no longer represents the apolitical place for free artistic expression it was founded to be.”
“There’s no way I would set foot in it now,” he added.
As well as cancellations, the center is also facing a rapid decline in viewership.
On December 7, Trump hosted the Kennedy Center Honors, which is a telecast tribute to recognize performing arts contributions to American culture.
Image credits: Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
This year’s honorees were country music icon George Strait, legendary rock band KISS, Tony Award-winning stage and screen star Michael Crawford, Grammy-winning disco pioneer Gloria Gaynor, and Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone.
Figures recorded by Nielsen Live + Same Day Panel + Big Data showed that an average of 3.01 million viewers tuned in to watch Trump host the show.
That represents a steep decline of 25% from the numbers in 2024, which were already at a record low with an average of 4.1 million viewers.
It was a point that Trump critic and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was quick to bring up on his show on Monday.
“You know he [Trump] hosted an awards show over the break,” Kimmel said. “After boasting about what a great host he is and how much better he is than I am and how huge his ratings would be, Trump hosted the lowest-rated Kennedy Center Honors telecast of all time.”
He added, “Boy, I’d hate to be the White House intern who had to tear that headline out of all the papers and eat ’em.
“You know, as I recall, he said he’d step down if this happened. He said, ‘If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel, then I don’t think I should be president.’ Hey, a deal is a deal. Back to Mar-a-Lago you go.”