(AFP) – US President Donald Trump has sought to burnish his legacy by getting his name and image placed on everything, from limited edition passports to a Florida airport. His efforts to put his stamp on the Kennedy Center arts complex in Washington — blocked earlier this year by a federal judge — moved ahead once again on Thursday.
The venue’s board of trustees, which is stacked with Trump allies, reportedly voted to approve a workaround by adding the inscription “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump” to the building. The New York Times and The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the proceedings, said the inscription would go directly below the main signage. It was not immediately clear how the decision would comply with a federal judge’s order in May that Trump’s name be removed from the facade, as only Congress can change it.
In mid-June, the center’s Executive Director Matt Floca said it had “removed all physical signage on the Kennedy Center building and grounds” containing Trump’s name. But a tarp has remained over the facade since that time, sparking questions about the actual changes. On Thursday, the board also voted to close the center’s main building for two years for renovations. Work on the venue’s heating and cooling, electrical and fire safety systems is to be completed by summer 2028. A judge had also blocked that plan, but said it could be reconsidered after further review.
The Kennedy Center did not immediately reply to AFP’s request for comment on the board’s proceedings. Since returning to the White House in January 2025, former reality TV star Trump has aggressively imprinted his personal brand on institutions, eschewing political tradition. The Kennedy Center’s board initially voted in December to rename the venue as “The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” The Republican president’s name was quickly added to the facade in large letters above that of Kennedy, spurring the cancellation of shows and plunging ticket sales for remaining events.
Elsewhere in Washington, the now-defunct US Institute of Peace was also renamed after Trump, and his face has stared down from huge banners hung outside the Justice and Agriculture Departments. His image is featured on a limited edition US passport, and the airport in West Palm Beach, Florida is now named for him.
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