# Trump's name at Kennedy Center sparks debate on presidential vanity

> President Trump demanded his name be added to the Kennedy Center, but a judge ruled only Congress can change it. History shows sitting presidents rarely name things after themselves.
- Title: Trump's name at Kennedy Center sparks debate on presidential…
- Summary: President Trump demanded his name be added to the Kennedy Center, but a judge ruled only Congress can change it. History shows sitting presidents rarely name…
- Keywords: donald trump, kennedy center, washington d.c., presidential naming, congress, george washington, hoover dam, franklin d. roosevelt, politics, news, Trump's, name
- Source: NPR — https://npr.org/2026/10/06/nx-s1-5986321/kennedy-center-trump-naming-washington
- Published: 2026-10-06T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 3 min
- Topics: donald trump, kennedy center, washington d.c., presidential naming, congress, george washington, hoover dam, franklin d. roosevelt, politics, news
## Trump's name added then removed
In December 2025, President Trump's name was added to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Less than six months later, it was removed following a judge's ruling that only Congress can change the name.
## Trump threatens Kennedy Center closure
President Trump told reporters the Kennedy Center would close if his name was not added to its facade. He said it would be ripped down without the change.

> Frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down.
## Trump pushes for his name everywhere
Trump or his supporters have called for the president's name to appear on everything from naval battleships to airports. Sitting presidents rarely stamp their identities on public infrastructure and assets.
## Washington rejected his own image
George Washington is now on the one dollar bill, but that happened long after his presidency and death. When Congress debated what to put on inaugural American coins, the House said the president should not appear because that was monarchical.
## Washington shared concerns about monarchy
The issue first arose during Washington's presidency around the Coinage Act of 1792. Washington shared Congress's concerns and usually shied away from ostentatious self-celebration. He did not want a lot of fuss.

> He didn't want a lot of fuss.
## Washington accepted the federal city
Despite his reluctance, Washington did not object when Congress named the federal city Washington to honor him while he was still in office. This was one exception to his general avoidance of self-promotion.
## Hoover Dam's contested name
The Hoover Dam on the Arizona-Nevada border was originally known as the Boulder Dam. Hoover's secretary of the interior, Ray Lyman Wilbur, suggested renaming it in 1930 as the Hoover Dam because Hoover had negotiated the Colorado River Compact allocating water among seven states.
## Roosevelt reversed Hoover's name
After Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933, his secretary of the interior, Harold Ickes, called for the dam to revert to Boulder Dam. Ickes based this on the original legislation being called the Boulder Canyon Project Act and did not like Herbert Hoover's politics.
## Congress restored Hoover's name
Although Democrats initially opposed it, in 1947 Congress voted unanimously to change the name back to Hoover Dam. This happened in recognition of Hoover's early support for the project and his humanitarian work during and after the First and Second World Wars.
## Roosevelt built a library anyway
Franklin D. Roosevelt was not particularly anxious to have things named after him, but he initiated the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum during his presidency. Presidential libraries are technically public-private assets.
## Trump plans Miami hotel as library
President Trump told reporters he is planning to build a presidential library in Miami. He said he does not believe in building libraries or museums, but it will most likely be a hotel with a beautiful building underneath and a seven four seven Air Force One in the lobby.

> I don't believe in building libraries or museums. But it's most likely going to be a hotel with a beautiful building underneath and a 747 Air Force One in the lobby.
## Key takeaway

A judge removed Trump's name from the Kennedy Center after ruling only Congress can rename it, highlighting how rare it is for sitting presidents to put their names on public assets.