Pingree: JFK Would be Appalled by Illegal Kennedy Center Name Change, Trump’s ‘Profound Egomania’

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Ranking Member on the House Interior and Environment Subcommittee, condemned the White House's announcement that the board of the Kennedy Center voted to rename the building the "Trump-Kennedy Center" and released the following statement:

"The Kennedy Center is a national cultural institution established by Congress, and is statutorily named the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. No board vote or social media post from the White House Press Secretary has the legal authority to change that without an act of Congress.

Since Donald Trump took over the board and installed himself as Chair, he has worked to dismantle the Kennedy Center's legacy and has effectively run it into the ground. Ticket sales have never been lower. Artists are staying away. At the same time, the Trump Administration has launched a series of unprecedented attacks on the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Library of Congress-clawing back funding and going to outrageous lengths to eliminate personnel and exhibits that don't adhere to their twisted version of history and culture.

The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, who was a fierce champion of the arts and a believer in free expression. He would be appalled to see his legacy twisted into a propaganda vehicle for a president who has shown open hostility to artists and cultural institutions. That Trump has the gall to put his name before Kennedy's is just another example of his profound egomania-and the ridiculous lengths he's willing to go to fabricate his own legacy.

I will do everything in my power to stop this. Congress must assert its authority and conduct aggressive oversight. The Kennedy Center belongs to the American people, and its name and mission are not negotiable."