US President Donald Trump’s name was affixed to the Kennedy Center in Washington on Friday, one day after his hand-picked board members voted to rename the arts venue in spite of legal questions.
Workmen on scissor lifts added metal lettering to the building’s facade, before dropping a blue tarpaulin to reveal the sign saying: “The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
However, family members of former US president John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, have criticized the move as “beyond wild” and said an act of the US Congress is needed to alter the name of the US national cultural center.
Photo: REUTERS
Trump on Thursday said that he was “surprised” by the rebranding — even though he personally purged the board of the center after calling it “too woke,” and had already talked about having his name added to it.
The 79-year-old Republican even appointed himself as its chairman of the board earlier this year.
“Today, we proudly unveil the updated exterior designation — honoring the leadership of President Donald J. Trump and the enduring legacy of John F. Kennedy,” the center wrote on social media, along with photos of the lettering.
Naming a national institution after a sitting president is unprecedented in US history. Landmarks like the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and indeed the Kennedy Center were all named after their deaths.
Trump, who long emblazoned his name on his skyscrapers and casinos during his career as a property magnate, has shown little hesitation about doing the same thing as president.
He has stamped his mark on the Kennedy Center since the start of his second term as part of an assault on cultural institutions that his administration has accused of being too left-wing.
During his second term he has given his name to a Washington peace institute, trust funds for children he has branded “Trump accounts” and a “Trump Gold Card” for high-paying immigrants that he showed off on Friday.
Trump has also embarked on a huge overhaul of the White House, knocking down the East Wing to build a US$400 million ballroom and this week putting up plaques rewriting the history of his presidential predecessors.
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