A Desecration and A House of Cards
- mrymntcpw
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
January 25, 2026
Last month we witnessed another Trump travesty that was a direct hit to my past.
A stacked Kennedy Center board, of which Trump is the self-appointed chairman, installed Donald J. Trump’s name on the facade of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 1964, the Kennedy Center was officially designated a "living memorial" to President John F. Kennedy by Congress, the year after his assassination, under Public Law 88-260, with President Lyndon B. Johnson leading the effort to establish it as a national tribute to JFK's love for the arts. The groundbreaking was in December 1964, and the center opened in 1971.
Former Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.), grandson of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, called into question the legality of the current name change:
“The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law,...It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.”
My direct experience with the Kennedy Center took place 50 years ago this coming week. In 1975, I became a member of the Clarence Brown Theatre Company based in Knoxville, Tennessee and was cast in a Bicentennial production of Rip Van Winkle starring Sir Anthony Quayle and directed by Joshua Logan. The production was booked to play the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and then on to a theatre in Philadelphia. The production opened at the Kennedy Center on January 29, 1976. I have many fond memories of our time there, but none stronger than standing in front of the large bust of John F. Kennedy that is housed in the lobby of the Center.
Many strong reactions have been posted about the desecration of the Center including this post from Kerry Kennedy:
“President Trump and his administration have spent the past year repressing free expression, targeting artists, journalists, and comedians, and erasing the history of Americans whose contributions made our nation better and more just,” Kerry Kennedy, president of the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, wrote in a post on X. “President Kennedy proudly stood for justice, peace, equality, dignity, diversity, and compassion for those who suffer,” she continued. “President Trump stands in opposition to these values, and his name should not be placed alongside President Kennedy’s.”
Joyce Beatty, Congresswoman from Ohio, has sued President Trump and others to stop the unlawful renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of the Congresswoman in her capacity as an ex officio trustee of the Kennedy Center by Democracy Defenders Action and the Washington Litigation Group.
“Only Congress has the authority to rename the Kennedy Center. President Trump and his cronies must not be allowed to trample federal law and bypass Congress to feed his ego,” said Congresswoman Beatty. “This entire process has been a complete disgrace to this cherished institution and the people it serves. These unlawful actions must be blocked before any further damage is done.”
During my time at the Kennedy Center, I purchased a deck of cards as a souvenir that displayed a lighted Center on the back of every card. It is now my hope that, until Trump's name is removed, there will not be a "full house" at the Kennedy Center, but more importantly, and ironically, Trump's policies are making the US a "House of Cards" and his irrational gambling on the international stage is increasingly dangerous for the US and for world order.
I'm appalled by this desecration!
CPW
P.S.
Bravo WNO! Curtains down, seats empty.
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