🔗 Share this article Kennedy Center Votes for Significant Renaming to Trump-Kennedy Performing Arts Center, According to Administration Announcement. Image Source The governing board of the renowned performing arts venue has decided to adopt a new name the Trump-Kennedy Center, according to a statement from the White House. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced via a post that the board's approval was consensus, citing "the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in rescuing the building." "This will be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur," Leavitt added. The proposed move is expected to be highly controversial, notably in Washington, D.C., where the center has been an iconic landmark since its completion and original naming for President John F. Kennedy. Background of the Center Not long after taking office, President Donald Trump fired all the center's existing board members and appointed loyalists in their stead. The freshly appointed board then voted to elect Trump chairman. The president was instrumental in securing approximately $257 million in congressional funding to pay for extensive repairs and other financial needs at the national venue. Inception The concept for a national performing arts center was first proposed in the 1950s. Following the murder of President John F. Kennedy, the 35th president, in 1963, the planned venue was christened the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This report is being updated. More details will be published soon.