United States President Donald Trump was sued on Tuesday, December 23, for adding his name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts allegedly without any approval from the Congress. Ohio Democrat Joyce Beatty has accused Donald Trump and his appointees of flouting the law to satisfy his “vanity.” The new sign now says “The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For the Performing Arts.”
“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 said on its newly rebranded X account, along with photos of the lettering.
Even though the President had appointed himself as the board chairman earlier this year and purged most of it by calling it “too woke”, Donald Trump said he was “surprised” by the rebranding.
Democrats and members of the Kennedy family – although not Trump’s Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. – railed against the name change.
What does the Opposition say?
Those who have critcised the move to rename the Kennedy centre have argued that that only Congress has the authority to change the name.
“The Kennedy Center was named by law. To change the name would require a revision of that 1964 law,” Ray Smock, a former House historian, said in an email. “The Kennedy Center board is not a lawmaking entity. Congress makes laws.” Also Read | Robert F. Kennedy Jr says he told CDC to abandon its position that vaccines do not cause autism
Joyce Beatty has also alleged that she was muted during the voting, asserting that it was not unanimous.
The family of John F Kennedy, too, has criticised the latest move to rename the center. Kerry Kennedy, a niece of John F. Kennedy, said in a social post on X that she will remove Trump's name herself when his term ends.
“Three years and one month from today, I’m going to grab a pickax and pull those letters off that building, but I’m going to need help holding the ladder. Are you in? Applying for my carpenter’s card today, so it’ll be a union job!!!” she said in a social media post.
Last week, a center spokeswoman, Roma Daravi, said in a statement that Trump’s name was added because he “saved the institution from financial ruin and physical destruction.”
