Trump unsure if Kennedy Center will be renamed the Trump Kennedy Center: ‘It’s up to the board’
Reporter: Do you think it will eventually be named the Trump Kennedy Center?
— Acyn (@Acyn) December 7, 2025
Trump: I hear that but I don’t know. It’s not up to me. It’s up to the board. pic.twitter.com/OEeHXTfI0o
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump said he was unsure if the popular Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, will eventually be named the Trump Kennedy Center.
The POTUS made the statement while speaking with reporters on Sunday, December 7, during the 48th annual Kennedy Center Honors held in the nation’s capital.
Trump comments on possible Kennedy Center renaming decision
During the event on Sunday, a reporter asked Donald Trump, "Do you think it will eventually be named the Trump Kennedy Center?" The POTUS replied, "I hear that but I don’t know. It’s not up to me. It’s up to the board."
The Kennedy Center Honors has almost doubled 2024's $12.7 million total raised under former President Joe Biden, reaching a historic $23 million for its 48th annual celebration.
Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell confirmed the numbers to Fox News and said that the institution "nearly doubled last year’s fundraising, reaching a historic $23 million dollars," calling the Honors "one of our nation’s highest celebrations of the performing arts."
Interestingly, in a change from previous years, the honorees were recognized not in private but in an official, on-camera Oval Office ceremony. The POTUS personally introduced each of the 2025 honorees, saying, "Great honor. And I'm delighted to welcome to the Oval Office… our truly exceptional 2025 Kennedy Center honorees."
He also praised the group as "perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class of Kennedy Center honorees ever assembled."
Trump awards Kennedy Center medals to legendary icons
Trump celebrated a talented lineup of the nation’s most "acclaimed and renowned" performers on Saturday, November 6, while presenting newly minted medals to this year’s Kennedy Center Honorees in the Oval Office.
The gold medals were awarded to Academy Award–nominated 'Rocky' actor and filmmaker Sylvester Stallone, members of the rock band KISS, disco singer Gloria Gaynor, British actor Michael Crawford, and country music legend George Strait. "This is a group of icons whose work and accomplishments have inspired, uplifted, and unified millions and millions of Americans," the POTUS said, adding, "This is perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class of Kennedy Center Honorees ever assembled."
.@POTUS presents medallions to the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors recipients: George Strait, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, Sylvester Stallone, and Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley (accepted by his daughter). pic.twitter.com/T7Z8A1R36M
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 6, 2025
The POTUS draped a custom Tiffany & Co medal around each honoree’s neck. The medal hung from a blue ribbon and featured the recipient’s name on one side and the Kennedy Center with rainbow colors on the other. Interestingly, the same jeweler also sponsored the prestigious medallions for the event.
Trump also highlighted the ongoing renovations at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.
"We are making something really special. It’s been mistreated, a little bit like the White House has been mistreated, to be honest with you, and we are bringing it back to a level that I don’t think any place in the country will see,” the president said.
