- Kennedy Center changed board rules this year.
- Rules enabled Trump's name addition to center.
- Trump installed MAGA-friendly board members in February.
In May, the center's bylaws were changed to prohibit Congress-designated ex officio members from casting ballots or contributing to a quorum.
When the Republican president took over the center in February, he removed non-appointed board members and added a number of new members, such as Second Lady Usha Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. He has declared that his goal is to eliminate "woke" programming.
The center's new name, "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts," was approved by the board on December 18. The building's signage was promptly changed to reflect the modification.
Changing the name of a memorial to former President John F. Kennedy is illegal, according to several legal experts and Democrats in Congress who have condemned the action. Additionally, some have argued that voting on the name change should have been open to ex officio members.
However, ex officio members have never cast ballots in the past, Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations at the Kennedy Center, told the Post.
“The bylaws were revised to reflect this longstanding precedent and everyone received the technical changes both before the meeting and after revisions,”
Daravi told the outlet.
“Some members (including ex officio) attended in person, others by phone, and no concerns were voiced, no one objected, and the bylaws passed unanimously.”
23 ex officio members and 34 president-appointed board members are listed on the center's website.
Ex officio members include the mayor of Washington, D.C. and the librarian of Congress, according to the bill that created the center in 1964. They are designated by law as members of the board of trustees, which oversees the facility.
Ex officio members were "always included in debate and discussion," according to a former center employee, but they couldn't recall a time when these members cast ballots.
“Theoretically they could vote, but our practice was not to have them vote or count toward quorum,”
the person noted.
The Post was informed by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, that he became an ex officio member earlier this year after rising to the position of ranking member on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
The law that created the center, according to Whitehouse,
"makes no distinction between ex officio and presidentially appointed Trustees when it comes to members' rights and responsibilities on the board, including voting."
Additionally, he charged that the new board had "illegally" changed the bylaws in order to "silence dissent."
Requests for comments were not answered by a number of government personnel, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Democrats in Congress have taken action to overturn the decision in the days following the name change.
Democrat Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio filed a complaint in Washington, D.C., requesting that the judge nullify the vote because she believed it went beyond the board's legislative jurisdiction. Beatty claimed that when she attempted to speak during the voting on December 18, she was muffled.
A bill that would remove Trump's name off the center was submitted last week by Democratic Representative Chellie Pingree of Maine. More than seventy more lawmakers backed the legislation.
In addition, a number of performers who were scheduled to play at the venue have canceled in recent days due to the addition of Trump's name. These include the Doug Varone and Dancers ensemble and the jazz supergroup The Cookers.
“All of these shows were booked by the previous regime,”
Richard Grenell, an officer of the board tapped by Trump, wrote on X.
“Their cancellations only prove our point that the place was booked with radical lefties putting woke politics above the Arts.”
“Democrats ignored the Kennedy Center for decades and it was crumbling,”
he added.
“Donald Trump saved the Center and has poured millions into the Arts, why don’t you join him?”
What does the Kennedy Center charter say about renaming?
The Kennedy Center's launching duty, established by the 1964 Kennedy Center Act( Public Law 88- 260), designates the institution as a" public artistic center" to serve as a" living honorary to the late President John F. Kennedy," with unequivocal references proscribing unilateral renaming without congressional blessing.
Section 2 declares it" the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing trades," framing the name as integral to its honorary purpose; legal analyses note Congress must amend the law for changes, as boards warrant authority to alter federally commanded designations for public monuments.
The board's May 2025 reg variations and December renaming to" Trump- Kennedy Center" face challenges, as Popular lawgivers and Kennedy family cite the duty's intent; experts argue this requires legislative action, potentially via action, to apply.