Kennedy Center to establish new endowment in Trump's name [View all]

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Kennedy Center to establish new endowment in Trump’s name

CBS News
June 14, 2026, 8:05 PM

The Kennedy Center is establishing a new endowment in President Trump’s name to support previously existing private endowments and its $257 million in federal funding. ... The fund was created at a Thursday meeting of the performing arts center’s board of trustees, with the members voting unanimously to acknowledge the president’s contributions to the center by all legal means. The Kennedy Center’s board is chaired by Mr. Trump and largely made up of his allies.

The Kennedy Center this weekend removed Mr. Trump’s name from the building to comply with a ruling by a D.C. District Court judge last month, according to a notice of compliance filed by the administration. The administration filed a last-minute request to stay the judge’s injunction pending their appeal, but it was ultimately rejected. ...The board during Thursday’s meeting also voted to file Friday’s emergency appeal to stay that earlier ruling.

“We remain fully compliant with the court’s directive while we evaluate legal options regarding the Board’s unanimous vote,” said Roma Davari, Vice President of Public Relations at the Kennedy Center. “The establishment of the Trump Kennedy Center Fund is intended to recognize President Donald J. Trump’s significant contributions and dedication to America’s premier cultural center, while furthering our founding mission like never before.”

A Kennedy Center official told CBS News that the Trump Kennedy Center Fund is “a landmark commitment to securing the future of the nation’s preeminent performing arts institution and its enduring legacy of artistic excellence.” A source with knowledge of the plans for the endowment suggested it will focus on the “physical disrepair” of the building, an element the current board feels has been neglected in the past.

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