Overview
- Toby Morton owns trumpkennedycenter.org and trumpkennedycenter.com, purchased in August, and says any site he builds will be a parody that reflects the moment.
- Morton cites Trump’s early-2025 reshaping of the Kennedy Center board and his installation as chairman as the cue to secure the URLs.
- The White House says trustees unanimously approved the new title, “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” and signage and web branding have been updated.
- Experts quoted in coverage argue the renaming may be unlawful for a congressionally designated memorial, and members of the Kennedy family publicly criticized the move.
- Rep. Joyce Beatty disputes that the vote was unanimous, saying she was muted during the meeting, and jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled his annual Christmas Eve concert after the change.