Kennedy Center Honors Shift to Intimate Trump-Branded Venue for 2023 Celebration

The Kennedy Center Honors, an esteemed annual event, will proceed this year but in a more intimate setting and under a new moniker featuring the president’s name.

Although President Donald Trump declared in July that the venue would shut down for a two-year renovation, the Kennedy Center Honors will continue under a rebranded title and at an alternative location.

Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell informed WTOP that the celebration will be known as ‘The Trump Kennedy Center Honors.’

Grenell noted that Trump’s decision to rename the center last year was merely the beginning of upcoming transformations, which include a $257 million refurbishment scheduled to close the center for two years starting July 4.

However, the center’s president reassured that the awards will persist during the renovations, stating to the outlet, “It will certainly proceed. It will likely just be hosted in a smaller venue, resulting in heightened ticket demand.”

‘This year’s honors, we raised more money and had more ticket demand than ever before,’ he added. 

The 2025 Kennedy Center Honors raised ‘a record $23 million…nearly doubling the $12.7 million raised last year under President Joe Biden,’ per Fox News. 

The new venue is ‘yet to be determined,’ but the new name for the awards is set in stone, Grenell said. 

The Kennedy Center Honors are set to go ahead, despite President Donald Trump’s $257 million renovations, at a smaller venue, the center’s president Richard Grenell says

This year, the event will be named ‘The Trump Kennedy Center Honors,’ according to Grenell

President Donald J. Trump hosted the 48th Annual Kennedy Center Honors

Trump ruffled feathers last year after plastering his name on the Kennedy Center, which required approval from a board of trustees. The president had previously fired the board and appointed a completely fresh panel. 

In mid-December, Trump said he was ‘honored’ to have his named added to the building. 

‘The board is the most distinguished people in the country. I was surprised by it. I was honored by it. We saved the building,’ he said.  

The closure announcement came shortly after many artists cancelled shows at the center in reaction to its updated name. 

Kennedy Center Spokesperson Roma Daravi told Rolling Stone: ‘We have no place for politics in the arts, and those calling for boycotts based on politics are making the wrong decision.’

‘We have not cancelled a single show. Leftist activists are pushing artists to cancel but the public wants artists to perform and create – not cancel under pressure from political insiders that benefit from creating division.’ 

At last years awards, Trump had suggested the renaming of the building in his honor before joking that he would nominate himself for an award this year. 

On stage at the event, the president boasted about how wonderful the center looked as renovations got underway, noting he, ‘just toured some of the construction. It’s like resting for me. They’re gorgeous. The Trump-Kennedy center.’ 

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the 48th annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center on December 07, 2025 in Washington, DC

Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, Amb. Richard Grenell, Kennedy Center President, Amb. Sergio Gor, Amb. Monica Crowley and (Front Row L-R) Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, Gloria Gaynor, Michael Crawford pose for the class photo at the 48th Kennedy Center Honors Medallion Reception at the U.S. Department of State on December 06, 2025 in Washington, DC

He then paused before adding ‘I mean, the Kennedy Center. I’m sorry. This is terribly embarrassing.’

The quips invoked laughter from the crowd, but they risked sparking a liberal meltdown after he upended decades of bipartisan support for the center by ousting its leadership and stacking the board of trustees with Republican supporters, who then elected him chair.

The likes of George Strait, Gloria Gaynor, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Crawford and KISS walked away with awards in December that year. Trump said he was deeply involved in choosing the 2025 honorees and turned down some recommendations because they were ‘too woke.’

Since 1978, the honors have recognized stars for their influence on American culture and the arts.