Overview

• Speaking from the Oval Office on Aug. 22, the president said the arts center might bear his name soon, using the phrase “maybe in a week or so.”
• Trump announced the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw will be held at the Kennedy Center on Dec. 5, 2025.
• He plans to serve as host of this year’s Kennedy Center Honors, with honorees including George Strait, KISS, Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, and Michael Crawford.
• Legislative efforts include Rep. Bob Onder’s Make Entertainment Great Again Act and a House Appropriations Committee vote of 33–25 to name the Opera House for Melania Trump, both still requiring full congressional passage.
• The venue continues to operate under President John F. Kennedy’s name as artists protest and cancel engagements, including the scrapped 2026 Hamilton run.