US Politics
Kennedy Center board member claims she was forcibly muted during call on name change: ‘This was not unanimous’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Read more
The vote to rename the Kennedy Center the Trump-Kennedy Center was not unanimous, as the White House and the center’s board have claimed, according to a congresswoman who is part of the flagship arts center and memorial’s board.
“What you may hear is that there was a unanimous vote to rename the Kennedy Center the Trump center,” Rep. Joyce Beatty, Democrat of Ohio, said in a video on X. “Be clear, I was on that call, and as I tried to push my button to voice my concern, to ask questions, and certainly not to vote in support of this, I was muted. Each time I tried to speak, I was muted.”
In an accompanying statement, Beatty compared her alleged treatment to “censorship.”
The board, which Trump replaced with his own picks earlier this year, lacks the power to rename the center on its own and instead needs an act of Congress, according to some observers.
“Under current law, there I think is very little question that the Kennedy Center board cannot rename the Opera House after Melania Trump or pretty much anybody else and would need Congress’s permission for anything like that,” David Super, a Georgetown law professor, told The Washington Post earlier this year, as Congress was mulling renaming the center for the president or the first lady. “… That statute is pretty unequivocal, and I can’t really find any loopholes in it.”
open image in gallery
“The entire board was invited to attend in person and the privilege of listening in on the meeting was granted to all members, even those without a vote, such as ex officio member Joyce Beatty,” Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations at the Kennedy Center, told The Independent when asked about the rep’s claims and legality of the board’s move. “The statute distinguishes between the statutory ex officio members and the general trustees appointed by the president. The ex officio members have never had a vote and that is further codified in the Center’s bylaws.”
In a separate X post, Grenell said today’s vote doesn’t impact the memorial itself.
Sergio Gor, a Trump aide who was recently chosen to serve as ambassador to India, reportedly was the one who put forth the motion to change the name at the meeting, and his move was reportedly seconded by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
On Capitol Hill, reaction to the name change was divided along partisan lines.
open image in gallery
In a statement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senators Chuck Schumer and Mark Warner, all ex officio board members, the Democrats said the vote showed “a troubling lack of transparency and respect for the rule of law.”
“This whole process displays the corruption that permeates the entire Trump Administration, and as ex-officio members of the Kennedy Center Board, we will be unwavering in our commitment to holding this Administration accountable,” they added.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, meanwhile, told Fox News he was unfamiliar with the law around the naming process, but said the name change reflected the president’s deeper investment in making life better in the capital.
“We’ll take a look at it for sure and see where that goes, but obviously the president is heavily invested in the trying to make some of these monuments around Washington, D.C., make this a better place to live and to work and to raise your families,” he told Bret Baier.
Relatives of the late President Kennedy were vocally opposed to the change.
open image in gallery
“The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law,” former congressman Joe Kennedy III wrote on X. “It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.”
Maria Shriver, President Kennedy’s niece, wrote on X that the decision left her “speechless, and enraged, and in a state of disbelief.”
In a post on X, Grenell claimed Shriver and the rest of Kennedy’s relatives stood by as the center was “literally falling apart.”
“Donald Trump had to step in and save it because you didn’t help,” he wrote.
Since the Trump takeover, artists have boycotted the center and ticket sales have fallen sharply at its three largest venues, according to an analysis from The Washington Post.
open image in gallery
The Trump administration has shown a zeal for renaming things according to the wishes of the president and his allies, even if they lack clear authority to do so.
The White House now insists on referring to the Pentagon as the Department of War, and has signed an executive order to that effect, even though an act of Congress is required to officially rename a federal department. So far, that hasn’t happened.
The president has also introduced a “Trump gold card” immigration program, granting permanent residency to individuals who pay the government $1 million, though critics say he lacks the authority to carry out what amounts to a unilateral change in immigration law.
Earlier this month, the administration renamed the State Department’s Institute of Peace the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, and Trump allies are reportedly pushing to feature Trump’s name on the new Washington Commanders NFL stadium, the Washington Dulles International Airport, and a $1 coin.
A previous version of this story referred to Hakeem Jeffries as a U.S. senator. He is the House Minority Leader.
