Workers have begun removing Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. This follows a federal appeals court’s rejection of a last-minute appeal to keep his name on the building. Trump’s name was added after a unanimous board vote in December.
Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana expressed that living public officials should not have buildings named after them. He proposed a rule to prevent such renaming efforts.
President Donald Trump has made several attempts to rename the Kennedy Center after himself. He has also tried to rename other notable federal buildings in Washington, D.C., since returning to the White House last year.
Senator Kennedy commented that public officials, including Trump, should not use public funds to advertise themselves. He told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that the White House views this differently but maintained the stance against using public money for self-promotion.
“The White House sees it differently, but you can’t spend public money to promote yourself,” Kennedy stated.
Kennedy’s remarks coincided with the release of a federally funded ad promoting Trump, appearing on multiple networks. He suggested a rule barring buildings from being named after politicians while they are still alive.
The senator humorously noted, “I may end up with a sombrero on my head, but I also think we ought to have a rule that no politician can have a building named after him when he’s alive.” This referred to previous incidents involving AI videos of political opponents.
A federal judge directed Trump’s name removal from the Kennedy Center. The court emphasized that only Congress could rename such facilities. The Kennedy Center board’s emergency appeal to prevent the removal was denied.
President Trump has previously attempted renaming the Kennedy Center and other buildings. His name briefly appeared on the facade before being ordered removed by court ruling.
In another instance, the State Department added Trump’s name to the U.S. Institute of Peace last year. Former institute officials filed a court motion to prevent this, citing unauthorized alterations.
Trump has also proposed renaming New York’s Penn Station and Dulles Airport as part of a funding agreement. He additionally suggested building a promenade from the Lincoln Memorial to the Potomac River, hinting at naming it the “Trump Promenade.”