Kennedy Center Set for Significant Name Change to Trump-Kennedy Performing Arts Center, According to Administration Announcement.
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The governing board of the iconic performing arts venue has voted to be renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center, as confirmed by the White House.
White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt announced via a post that the board's vote was unified, attributing it to "the extraordinary job President Trump has done over the last year in rescuing the building."
"This will be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur," Leavitt continued.
The planned renaming is likely to prove deeply divisive, particularly in Washington, D.C., where the center has served as an iconic landmark since its construction and christening for President John F. Kennedy.
Context of the Venue
Not long after beginning his term, President Donald Trump dismissed all the center's incumbent trustees and installed loyalists in their place. The newly constituted board then voted to name Trump the chairman.
The president helped procure approximately $257 million in federal funds to finance extensive repairs and associated costs at the historic venue.
Original Concept
The vision for a federal performing arts center was first proposed in the 1950s. Following the murder of President John F. Kennedy, the 35th president, in 1963, the then-under-construction venue was christened the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Further details are emerging. More details will be provided shortly.
