Trump made a pricey Kennedy Center move months before his name went up
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump's name was reportedly being prepared for the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts months before the center’s board formally voted to add it, journalist Maggie Haberman said on Saturday, August 15.
Appearing on MS NOW, Haberman said she discovered the detail while reporting on her book, 'Regime Change', about Trump’s return to the White House.
She described the purchase of specially designed letters bearing Trump's name as a “striking” detail in the broader effort to examine his changes to Washington.
According to Haberman, the letters had been ordered months before the Kennedy Center board held its initial vote in December 2025.
Letters ordered before Kennedy Center vote
Haberman said the timing stood out because the specially designed letters were already being prepared before the board formally decided whether Trump's name would be placed on the building.
“They had ordered the letters to do that - because there are these specially designed letters - months earlier,” Haberman said.
She added that the sequence meant the naming was not simply an unexpected decision followed by an order for new signage.
Maggie Haberman notes there is "no precedent in US history" for a sitting president dedicating this much energy to building monuments to himself.
— Furkan Gözükara (@FurkanGozukara) August 15, 2026
While past leaders rejected such honors, Donald Trump is reportedly consumed by White House vanity projects. https://t.co/bCGzClozvk pic.twitter.com/lhjJQ1PL6E
The Kennedy Center board later voted in December 2025 to add Trump's name to the institution.
The board at the time included several Trump allies, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and adviser Dan Scavino, according to the report.
Haberman's account focuses on the timing of the lettering order and the subsequent board vote, raising questions about when preparations for the rebranding began.
Maggie Haberman details Trump's legacy focus
Haberman linked the Kennedy Center episode to what she described as Trump's interest in having his name remain prominently associated with major Washington landmarks.
“He is interested in leaving his name in a way that cannot be stripped down and off of buildings and out of sight,” Haberman said.
She connected that interest to Trump's previous experience with his name and properties in Manhattan after his first presidential term ended in 2021.
The Kennedy Center has become one of several prominent Washington institutions affected by Trump's efforts to reshape the capital during his second presidency.
