President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw will take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on December 5. The announcement came during an Oval Office ceremony where Trump was joined by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Vice President JD Vance.
Trump has taken control of the Kennedy Center since returning to office in January 2025. He fired the previous board members appointed by Joe Biden and replaced them with his own allies. Trump then became chairman of the board, while his longtime friend Ric Grenell was installed as the center’s president.
According to Deadline, during Friday’s World Cup announcement, Trump hinted at his desire to rebrand the arts institution with his own name. “Some people refer to it as the Trump Kennedy Center, but we’re not prepared to do that quite yet. Maybe in a week or so,” Trump said during the ceremony.
Republicans push legislation to rename Kennedy Center after Trump
Congressional Republicans have been working to rename parts or all of the Kennedy Center after the Trump family. In July, House Republicans passed an amendment that would rename the center’s opera house the “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.” Representative Bob Onder of Missouri introduced the “Make Entertainment Great Again Act” which would rename the entire center as the “Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts.”
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 12, 2025
Whoa — is President Trump going to rename the Kennedy Center?
“GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS. They will be announced Wednesday. Tremendous work is being done, and money being spent, on bringing it back to the absolute TOP… pic.twitter.com/IR9GCAZM4l
However, these renaming efforts face legal challenges. According to U.S. law, no additional memorials can be installed in the Kennedy Center after December 1983. Four sources told NBC News that the Republican proposals would violate the law that created the Kennedy Center.
Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” included $257 million for Kennedy Center upgrades and renovations. Since taking control, Trump’s administration has made major changes that have drawn criticism from the arts community. Several artists have resigned, including the producer of Hamilton who canceled the show’s run through 2026.
Kennedy family members have also criticized the efforts, with JFK’s niece Maria Shriver calling the proposal “so ridiculous, so petty.” Jack Schlossberg, JFK’s grandson, wrote that Trump is “obsessed with being bigger than JFK” and criticized the renaming efforts.
