In a jaw-dropping move on Thursday, Donald Trumps handpicked board of trustees at the Kennedy Center renamed the performing arts venue after him, adding Trumps name to the assassinated presidents memorial.And new signs bearing his name are already being installed. Related Ric Grenell is under Senate investigation for corrupt dealings at the Kennedy Center The White House is now calling the once-revered cultural institution the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.Its not even alphabetical. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Sneak Peek Our board recognizes that our Chairman, President Donald J. Trump, has not only saved this historic building but also created a truly bipartisan place to celebrate the arts. Some exciting changes are coming to reflect thatstay tuned! pic.twitter.com/zfPUhbRBiC The Trump Kennedy Center (@kencen) December 19, 2025Wow The Kennedy Center already started slapping Donald Trumps name on the building without congressional approval.The narcissism is unreal with this man, and the willingness of so many to bend to his every whim is pathetic. pic.twitter.com/JTXONM50ut Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) December 19, 2025At an Oval Office event Thursday afternoon, Trump evinced surprise at the change.This was brought up by one of the very distinguished board members, and they voted on it, and theres a lot of board members, and they voted unanimously, he said.Perhaps more galling than Trumps pretend surprise was the White House announcement of the switch, a Dear Leader paean issued by 28-year-old Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.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. Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation, she posted to social media.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. 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 Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) December 18, 2025This was immediatelyfollowed on Friday by workers changing the signage on the hallowed building, even while the legality of the name change remains in question.Leavitts pronouncement notwithstanding, the Kennedy Center has been plagued by resignations and poor attendance since Trumps takeover. Ticket sales at the Kennedy Center in October were down 50% vs the same month last year under Trump and the trustees leadership.In February, Trumppurged the bipartisan boardand packed it with loyalists, including Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, Proud to Be an American singer Lee Greenwood, and rightwing pundit Laura Ingraham, among others, in a cast of MAGA rubber stamps at the performing arts center.In February, they installed Trump as Chairman of the Board.Last week, the president hosted the Kennedy Center Honors himself, comparing his performance favorably to late-night legend and frequent Oscars host Johnny Carson.Asked on the red carpet before the show how past presidents might have handled hosting duties, Trump replied, John F. Kennedy would have done a very good job mostly.Trump also took the opportunity on stage the same night to facetiously refer to the awards venue by the name his handpicked trustees would change it to, before correcting himself for the laugh.One Democrat, Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), who inexplicably remained on the board, took issue with the presidents characterization of the name-change vote as unanimous. It was not unanimous, she said in a video posted to X.I was on that call and as I tried to push my button to voice my concern, to ask questions, and certainly not to vote in support of this, I was muted. Each time I tried to speak, I was muted, she said.For the record. This was not unanimous. I was muted on the call and not allowed to speak or voice my opposition to this move. Also for the record, this was not on the agenda. This was not consensus. This is censorship. https://t.co/D1zGV7xiWV pic.twitter.com/npNvSIy6sV Rep. Joyce Beatty (@RepBeatty) December 18, 2025One can imagine Board President Ric Grenell himself with a sticky finger on the conference call console.As Trumps gay toadie, he was tapped to run the arts venue after his failed campaign to lead the State Department, and is under investigation by Senate Democrats over charges of corruption and self-dealing at the Kennedy Center.Despite the administrations advertising the name change as a fait accompli, their grounds for making it legal are dubious. Federal law doesnt grant the centers board of trustees the ability to change the name without a vote from Congress.There is absolutely no way they can do this legally, David Super, a professor at Georgetown Law who specializes in legislation, told CNN. But, he added, the administration is not concerning itself with laws unless it has a realistic prospect of getting sued. One potential party to a lawsuit could be the Kennedy family itself.The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law, Joe Kennedy III, a former congressman and the great-nephew of the late president, said on X. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.