Kennedy Center Set for Controversial Name Change to Trump-Kennedy Performing Arts Center, According to Administration Statement.
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The board of trustees of the prestigious performing arts venue has voted to be renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center, according to a statement from the White House.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced via a post that the board's approval was consensus, crediting "the extraordinary job President Trump has done over the last year in saving 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 added.
The planned renaming is shaping up as deeply divisive, particularly in Washington, D.C., where the center has served as an beloved institution since its completion and christening for President John F. Kennedy.
Recent History of the Center
Not long after taking office, President Donald Trump dismissed all the center's sitting board members and installed loyalists in their positions. The reconstituted board subsequently voted to name Trump the chairman.
The president later secured approximately $257 million in congressional funding to pay for major renovations and associated costs at the aging venue.
Inception
The idea for a national performing arts center was first proposed in the 1950s. Following the murder of President John F. Kennedy, the 35th president, in 1963, the future venue was dedicated to his memory.
Further details are emerging. More details will be provided shortly.
