Overview
- After a board vote, the Kennedy Center’s façade and website were updated to read “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
- Chuck Redd canceled the long-running Christmas Eve jazz concert in direct response to the new name.
- Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty filed a legal challenge contending only Congress can authorize a name change for the federally designated memorial.
- Members of the Kennedy family and opposition politicians condemned the decision as an affront to JFK’s memory and beyond the board’s authority.
- The vote followed removals and replacements on the board, including longtime chair David M. Rubenstein, with figures aligned with the president.