Hakeem Jeffries slams plan to rename Kennedy Center after Trump as illegal

WASHINGTON, DC: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) sharply criticized the controversial decision by the board of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after it voted to add the name of President Donald Trump to the institution’s title.

Jeffries argued that the board lacks the legal authority to change the name without the approval of Congress.

Hakeem Jeffries' remark against the move

On Thursday, December 18, Jeffries flagged the renaming of the Kennedy Center by the Trump administration without legislative action as illegal.

“The Kennedy Center Board has no authority to actually rename the Kennedy Center in the absence of legislative action,” Jeffries told reporters. 

The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was designated as a cultural site during its creation, as outlined in the US Code.

Jeffries' comment came hours after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the center’s board voted to add Trump’s name to the world-renowned venue’s name.

Karoline Leavitt announces the move

“I have just been informed that the highly respected Board of the Kennedy Center, some of the most successful people from all parts of the world, have just voted unanimously to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center, because of the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building,” Leavitt wrote in a post on social platform X.

“Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation. Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future!” she added. “The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur.”

Objections from the Kennedy family

The move was confirmed by Roma Daravi, the vice president of public relations at the performing arts center, but the Kennedy family has strongly objected to the move.

“The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law,” former Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) wrote on X.

“It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.”

Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, also condemned the move.

“President Kennedy proudly stood for justice, peace, equality, dignity, diversity, and compassion for those who suffer. President Trump stands in opposition to these values, and his name should not be placed alongside President Kennedy’s,” she wrote in a statement online.

Jack Schlossberg, a grandson of the former president, also ripped the move.

“Microphones were muted and the board meeting and vote NOT unanimous,” Schlossberg, who is running to represent the Empire State in the House, wrote online. “Trump explicitly motivated to act by JACK FOR NEW YORK. Our campaign represents everything Trump can’t stand or defeat.”