Kennedy Center Votes for Major Name Change to Trump-Kennedy Center, Per Administration Statement.
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The leadership board of the iconic performing arts venue has approved a measure to adopt a new name the Trump-Kennedy Center, per an announcement by the White House.
White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt announced via a post that the board's decision was unanimous, attributing it to "the tremendous efforts 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 noted.
The intended name change is shaping up as deeply divisive, especially in Washington, D.C., where the center has stood as an architectural and cultural icon since its founding and original naming for President John F. Kennedy.
Context of the Center
Soon after assuming the presidency, President Donald Trump fired all the center's sitting board members and appointed loyalists in their stead. The freshly appointed board subsequently voted to name Trump the chairman.
The president was instrumental in securing approximately $257 million in congressional funding to finance major renovations and operational expenses at the aging venue.
Original Concept
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 planned venue was christened the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Further details are emerging. More details will be added as it becomes available.
