A House Republican bill has been introduced that seeks to remove John F. Kennedy’s name from the Kennedy Center and rename it the “Trump Center for the Performing Arts.” The bill, put forward by Rep. Bob Onder (R-Mo.), highlights President Trump’s impact on entertainment and culture over the past several decades.
The legislation, titled the Make Entertainment Great Again (MEGA) Act, aims to end what it calls “woke programming” at the Kennedy Center and calls for reallocating its $234 million budget to reflect this goal. The proposal also notes President Trump’s role as chairman of the Kennedy Center, a position he assumed after the previous president was removed and replaced with a Trump loyalist as interim head. Since his appointment, the Kennedy Center has experienced significant drops in ticket sales and subscriptions for major events. Onder’s bill praises Trump’s contributions to popular culture, referencing his entertainment work and describing him as a symbol of American exceptionalism in the arts. This move follows a recent House Republican effort to rename the Kennedy Center’s opera house after Melania Trump, which has drawn criticism from some of John F. Kennedy’s family members. The Kennedy Center, named in honor of the late president in 1964, remains a central institution for performing arts in Washington, D.C.