President Trump hosts Kennedy Center Honors with Hollywood and music legends
President Donald Trump hosted the Kennedy Center Honors, honoring Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait, Michael Crawford, Kiss and more.
WASHINGTON – The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington is now known as the “Trump Kennedy Center,” according to the White House.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt announced in a statement that the Kennedy Center’s board of directors voted unanimously on December 18 to rename the national music and cultural institution in honor of President Donald Trump. The board, chaired by Trump, is made up of members hand-picked by the president.
But a formal name change appears to require Congressional action. A law passed in 1964, a few months after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, established a building designated as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The law does not authorize the board to change its name.
Levitt said the commission renamed the facility in honor of President Trump “because of the incredible efforts that President Trump has made over the last year to preserve the building, not just in terms of rebuilding it, but also financially and reputationally.”
“Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and congratulations to President Kennedy as well, because this team is going to be a really great team for years to come! This building will definitely reach new levels of success and grandeur,” Levitt said.
In February, one month into his second term, President Trump dismissed the Kennedy Center’s board of directors, installed himself as its new director, and appointed several political allies to the board. President Trump has chosen his special envoy, Rick Grenell, to head the center.
Opened in 1971 in honor of the late 35th President of the United States, the Kennedy Center serves as the nation’s center of arts and culture, offering paying customers a wide variety of concerts, plays, and other live acts. This facility is owned by the federal government.
President Trump has promised to transform the center with new renovations, improve its financial health, eliminate what he calls “woke” programming and bring back “Broadway hits” to the center. President Trump claimed the center had languished under “mismanagement” and that a $250 million expansion project planned before his second term in the White House was a waste.
“I was surprised and honored by it,” President Trump said in the Oval Office on December 18 when asked about the board’s name change. “We saved a building that was in very bad shape physically, financially and in every other way, and now it’s very strong, very durable.
“We saved the Kennedy Center,” the president added.
President Trump secured $257 million to renovate the Kennedy Center in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” bill approved by Congress last summer. About 16 percent of the Kennedy Center’s annual operating budget of $268 million comes from the federal government, with the remainder coming from private donations.
President Trump attended a performance of “Les Misérables” at the Kennedy Center in June, to boos and cheers from the audience. He opened the Kennedy Center on Dec. 5 for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final draw. And after skipping the annual Kennedy Honors during his first term, President Trump hosted a star-studded event in the Oval Office on Dec. 7.
X Contact Joey Garrison at @joeygarrison.
