A former South Park writer bought two website domain names in order to troll Donald Trump after predicting the president’s move to rename the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
Toby Morton saw that the writing was on the wall before the writing was on the wall, and purchased TrumpKennedyCenter.org and TrumpKennedyCenter.com back in August.
Earlier this month, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the world-famous performing arts center would be renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center after a unanimous – but potentially illegal – vote from the institution’s new board, made up of members hand picked by the president.
The move has already prompted public protests, as well as multiple artists to pull out of performances scheduled at the center in the coming weeks and a lawsuit that claims that the name change is unlawful as it can only be approved by Congress.
Morton, who has credits with the satirical cartoon and Mad TV, is known to have bought political domains in order to turn them into satirical. He told The Washington Post that he had purchased the Kennedy Center names after guessing the president’s plans.
“As soon as Trump began gutting the Kennedy Center board earlier this year, I thought, ‘Yep, that name’s going on the building,’” he told the outlet.
Morton has already got to work on reshaping the sites. TrumpKennedyCenter.org welcomes visitors to the site for the “national cultural center dedicated to legacy, loyalty, and the careful presentation of history.”
“Here, tradition is preserved, narratives are curated, and performances are elevated beyond mere art. What is remembered matters. What is omitted matters more,” the website states.
A post on the site also suggests that visitors “Ring in the New Year with a performance by The Epstein Dancers,” amid ongoing controversy surrounding the president’s connections to the late sex offender.
Trump has not be accused of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, and has repeatedly distanced himself from the disgraced financier.
Parts of the site’s logo are also blacked out, similar to the redactions plastered all over documents newly released by the Department of Justice in relation to Epstein.
The Independent has contacted the White House for comment about Morton’s parody websites.
The writer also revealed that he had had support from Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, sister of current Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and niece of former president John F. Kennedy.
“Can't tell you how thrilled that [I] was when I read that you had purchased the Trump Kennedy Center domain name," Kennedy told him in a social media message posted by Morton. "There are many forms back to this system, and yours is unique and impactful. I just want to express my gratitude."
Meanwhile, artists continue to drop out of events at the center in apparent protest of the renaming. Jazz supergroup The Cookers announced this week on its website it will not be performing across a series of two New Year’s Eve concerts.
The wave of cancellations follows the news that drummer and vibraphonist Chuck Redd canceled a longstanding Christmas Eve jazz concert at the center in protest of the name change. In response, the head of the Kennedy Center, Richard Grenell, said they are planning a $1 million lawsuit against Redd, calling the move a “political stunt.”
Artists, including Issa Rae, Peter Wolf, and Lin-Manuel Miranda have also withdrawn from Kennedy Center performances since Trump returned to office.
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