A group of congressional Republicans is seeking to rename the part of the iconic John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts after First Lady Melania Trump.
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According to USA Today, the measure was voted on as part of a larger amendment that the Appropriations Committee approved. The measure, which is part of the funds for the Interior Department, Environmental Protection Agency, and other agencies, now needs to be voted on by the Senate and the House of Representatives.
If the measure passes, the opera house inside the Kennedy Center will be named the “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.”
The area, which is the second largest in the Kennedy Center, is currently just named ‘Opera House.” It is located between the “Concert Hall” and the “Eisenhower Theater.”
Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, praised the measure. “This is an excellent way to recognize [the first lady’s] support and commitment to promoting the arts.”
However, Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, stated Republicans “snuck in” the “divisive” proposal to change the name of the Opera House.
“The Republicans have now given the president six times the normal amount of money to run the Kennedy Center, carte blanche over who will be on the board, and how different parts of the Kennedy Center,” she said during a subcommittee hearing. “Perhaps the whole Kennedy Center itself — will be named, and this amendment confirms that.”
John F. Kennedy’s Grandson Unleashes on Republicans for Attempting to Rename the Center’s Opera Theatre After Melania Trump
Not long after the news about the measure started trending, John F. Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, had some harsh words towards the republicans who want the measure to pass.
In an Instagram post featuring screenshots of articles about the renaming, Schlossberg quoted his late grandfather. “A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.”
“JFK believed the arts made our country great and could be our most effective weapon in the fight for civil rights and against authoritarian governments around the world,” Schlossberg then stated. “He took political heat for it at the time — for inviting black artists to the White House, like the Staples Singers. For supporting black Americans like Harry Belafonte and James Baldwin on global tours to showcase the best of our society.”
He also criticized President Trump. “The Trump administration stands for freedom of oppression, not expression. He uses his awesome powers to suppress free expression and instill fear. But this isn’t about the arts.”
Schlossberg further accused Trump of being obsessed with “being bigger than JFK” by minimizing the “many heroes of our past.”
“But there’s hope — art lasts forever,” he added. “And no one can change what JFK and our shared history stands for.”