A man walking his dog past the newly renamed Trump Kennedy Center on Friday expressed disbelief at what he described as a lack of public outrage over the latest visible change to the iconic D.C. performing arts venue.

Workers on Friday added President Donald Trump’s name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after the cultural institution’s board voted unanimously to do so. The move marks the latest development in the administration’s broader effort to reshape the institution.

“There should be hundreds of people out here! Where are the people!?” the man identified Andrew Howard is heard saying in a video obtained by NBC News Washington. “This is a desecration of this building.”

 

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Howard went on to call the decision “the day democracy died,” adding that, although he was born in the capital city, he would not continue living there with “that man’s name on this building.”

Tapping into the perceived outrage, activist group Hands Off the Arts organized a small group to gather in protest outside the venue Saturday. During the protest, drag queen Tarahoot condemned the renaming, called on Kennedy Center employees to unionize, and urged Congress to intervene and reverse the decision, according to WUSA9.

The protest was attended by Democrat Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen.

Shortly after taking office, Trump removed several board members and replaced them with allies, including former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, who was appointed president of the board. The newly organized board then elected the president as board chair in February.

“Our board recognizes that our Chairman, President Donald J. Trump, has not only saved this historic building but also created a truly bipartisan place to celebrate the arts,” the arts center wrote Friday on X, sharing images of workers replacing the name on the building.

Sneak Peek

Our board recognizes that our Chairman, President Donald J. Trump, has not only saved this historic building but also created a truly bipartisan place to celebrate the arts.

Some exciting changes are coming to reflect that—stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/zfPUhbRBiC

— The Trump Kennedy Center (@kencen) December 19, 2025

While the building signage and the center’s online presence appear to have been updated with the new name, the venue is statutorily named the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Democratic lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have said the board lacks the authority to rename the building without congressional approval.

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