GOP bill seeks to rename Kennedy Center for Trump
Share and Follow

(The Hill) – A House Republican’s bill would strip former President Kennedy’s name from the Washington institution created in the 35th commander in chief’s honor and instead have it known as the “Trump Center for the Performing Arts.”

The bill, recently introduced by Rep. Bob Onder (R-Mo.), aims to “designate the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as the ‘Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts.'”

Representatives for Onder and the Kennedy Center didn’t immediately return a request for comment about the proposed name change.

In an earlier statement, Onder called Trump “a patron of the arts and a staple of the pop-culture landscape.”

Dubbing the bill the Make Entertainment Great Again (MEGA) Act, a play on Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” Onder said, “I cannot think of a more ubiquitous symbol of American exceptionalism in the arts, entertainment, and popular culture at large than President Trump.”

House Republicans on the Appropriations Committee approved an amendment earlier this month to the interior, environment and related agencies annual spending bill that would rename a space inside the Kennedy Center the prominent Washington arts hub’s famed opera house the “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.”

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive to view opening night of “Les Miserables,” at the Kennedy Center, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) called the potential opera house designation an “excellent way to recognize [Melania Trump’s] support and commitment to promoting the arts.”

The opera house amendment was met with fierce condemnation from Trump critics, including Jack Schlossberg, Kennedy’s 32-year-old grandson.

“A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers,” Schlossberg wrote in a social media post. 

“The Trump administration stands for freedom of oppression, not expression,” Schlossberg said.

Trump, in an unprecedented move, overhauled the Kennedy Center’s board and named himself its chair in February, accusing it of being too “woke.”

After touring the Kennedy Center in March, Trump said it was in a state of “tremendous disrepair.”

Rep.-elect Bob Onder (R-Mo.) speaks to reporters outside the AC Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, November 12, 2024 as newly elected House membersfor the 119th session of Congress arrive for orientation.
Rep.-elect Bob Onder (R-Mo.) speaks to reporters outside the AC Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, November 12, 2024 as newly elected House membersfor the 119th session of Congress arrive for orientation.

“We’re going to fix it up, but it’s really emblematic of our country,” Trump said at the time.

The Kennedy Center opened its doors to the public in 1971. It describes its namesake Kennedy on its website as a “lifelong supporter and advocate of the arts” who “frequently steered the public discourse toward what he called ‘our contribution to the human spirit.'”

According to the institution, two months after Kennedy’s 1963 assassination, “Congress passed and President Johnson signed into law legislation renaming the National Cultural Center… as a ‘living memorial’ to Kennedy.”

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Iran more than doubles state executions in first half of 2025

Iran more than doubles state executions in first half of 2025

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Iran more than doubled…
Trump to meet with UK prime minister on heels of EU trade deal

Trump Set to Meet UK Prime Minister Following Recent EU Trade Agreement

() President Donald Trump will meet with British Prime Minister Kier Starmer…
Durbin demands recordings of Ghislaine Maxwell-Department of Justice talks

Durbin Calls for Release of Ghislaine Maxwell and Department of Justice Discussion Recordings

Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is demanding that the…
Deranged gunman's twisted revenge plot on the NFL revealed

Unhinged Shooter’s Disturbing NFL Vendetta Uncovered

The Nevada resident who stormed into a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper wielding an…

Urgent Appeal from Anti-Cruelty Society Following Theft of Puppy

CHICAGO A search is underway for a two-month-old puppy named Peter, who…
Downtown Cincinnati violent brawl videos go viral

Viral Videos Capture Intense Fight in Downtown Cincinnati

Graphic Warning: This story contains graphic images or video that may be…
Chicago man Philip Dominguez faces hate crime, criminal damage to property charges in Little Village vandalism case: CPD

Chicago Resident Philip Dominguez Charged with Hate Crime and Property Damage in Little Village Vandalism Incident: CPD Reports

Police said a man spray-painted the words ‘ICE rules’ and swastikas at…
There's 'great fear on part of many people' in NYC: Bill O'Reilly

Bill O’Reilly: ‘Many in NYC Are Gripped by Significant Fear’

() As the dust settles after multiple people were fatally shot, including…