Leavitt claimed the board voted unanimously to rebrand the site, citing President Trump’s recent financial and structural contributions to the building. However, the legitimacy of that vote is under fire. Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio board member, reported that she was muted during the proceedings and denied the opportunity to voice her opposition. Legal observers, including journalist Terry Moran, pointed out that the Kennedy Center was established by an act of Congress in 1963, meaning its designation cannot be unilaterally changed by an appointed board without new federal legislation.
Family members and public figures quickly denounced the renaming effort. Former Rep. Joe Kennedy III compared the action to attempting to rename the Lincoln Memorial, while Maria Shriver described the decision as a "downright weird" obsession with self-aggrandizement. Critics have labeled the attempt a desecration of a memorial dedicated to the late president, casting doubt on both the procedural integrity of the board’s vote and the political optics of the rebranding.
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