Fact Check: Did Trump propose a giant building around Kennedy Center that would bear his name?
WASHINGTON, DC: Following the debates surrounding the removal of President Donald Trump’s name from the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a rumor is circulating on social media platforms claiming that Trump is proposing a giant building around the monument with his name. The claim has sparked concerns and calls for fact-checking.
Claim: Donald Trump planning to build a giant building around Kennedy Center
The claim surfaced on X, stating, “Donald Trump's newest plan to get around court orders stopping him from adding his name to the Kennedy Center is to build a much bigger gold-colored building like a shell all around the Kennedy Center, which will have his name on the outside.”
While many appeared to praise the move, others criticized the president, suggesting that many believe the claim to be real. Meanwhile, a few others questioned its legality and called for a fact check into the claim.
Fact Check: The claim originated as satire
The claim, however, is false and baseless, as there is no credible evidence to support the rumor.
A search for the claim on several search engines such as Google yielded no relevant reports by prominent news media outlets, which, if true, would have been widely covered.
A search on Trump’s or his administration’s social media handles also did not show any credible reports that support the rumor.
Additionally, the claim was posted by an account on X that describes itself in the bio as ‘satire.’
A fact check by Grok stated, “There is no evidence or report of Donald Trump planning to build any gold-colored shell around the Kennedy Center to circumvent court orders on naming rights. The account openly describes its content as "halfway true comedy and satire" that improves on facts for humorous effect.”
Kennedy Center removes Donald Trump's name
In a decisive ruling last month, a federal court ordered the immediate removal of President Trump's name from the Kennedy Center.
An officer from the Kennedy Center told the federal judge that all references to Trump inside, outside, and online have been removed from the cultural center, in compliance with the court’s extended order requiring them to do so by noon.
Workers removed Trump’s name from the facade of the Kennedy Center six months after President Trump's name was added on December 19, after a hand-picked board of trustees voted to rebrand the venue.
