Kennedy Center Set for Significant Name Change to Trump-Kennedy Center, According to Administration Announcement.
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The governing board of the renowned performing arts venue has voted to be renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center, per an announcement by the White House.
Press Secretary 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 preserving the building."
"This promises to be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt attain new levels of prestige and accomplishment," Leavitt noted.
The intended name change is shaping up as deeply divisive, notably in Washington, D.C., where the center has stood as an beloved institution since its completion and original naming for President John F. Kennedy.
Recent History of the Institution
Not long after beginning his term, President Donald Trump dismissed all the center's incumbent trustees and appointed loyalists in their stead. The newly constituted board then voted to appoint Trump as chairman.
The president later secured approximately $257 million in federal funds to cover major renovations and associated costs at the national venue.
Inception
The idea for a Washington-based performing arts center was first proposed in the 1950s. Following the tragic death of President John F. Kennedy, the 35th president, in 1963, the future venue was christened the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
This report is being updated. Further context will be added as it becomes available.
