President Donald Trump has shared photos of “potential marble armrests” for the seats at the Kennedy Center, shortly after his name was added to the building.
The armrests are “unlike anything ever done or seen before,” Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social. His post comes just days after the White House announced plans to rename the Washington, D.C., landmark the “Trump-Kennedy Center.”
The Independent has contacted the Kennedy Center for comment.
Trump’s post about the potential installation of marble armrests drew criticism on social media, including from Democratic Senator Andy Kim.
“Americans are struggling to keep food on the table while Trump is spending your money on wasteful vanity projects. He doesn’t care about you,” Kim wrote on X.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced plans to change the Kennedy Center’s name on December 18, saying that its board “voted unanimously” to include the president’s name. Workers were then spotted adding his name to the building’s sign.
“Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur,” Leavitt wrote on X.
The performing arts center was named after Democratic President John F. Kennedy. Trump’s attempt to rename the center has been met with pushback, with some critics arguing that only Congress has the authority to change its name.
Trump also posted photos of the renovated Palm Room on Friday, which connects the White House’s West Wing to the Rose Garden.
The changes include new marble flooring and a new chandelier. Trump has previously shared photos of the renovation, which was completed in September.
“New lobby leading to Oval Office — Magnificent marble floor, compliments of President Donald J. Trump,” he wrote in a September 25 Truth Social post.
The White House did not provide information about the total cost of the project when asked by The Independent.
Trump has ordered several White House renovation projects, including the addition of a ballroom that’s now estimated to cost $400 million. Private donations, including from Apple, Amazon and Microsoft, are funding its construction, according to the president.
Trump has also faced mounting criticism over concerns about the cost of living for Americans in recent weeks, particularly after he claimed that parents “don’t need 37 dolls” for their daughters.
When asked about Trump’s remarks, Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock previously told The Independent that parents “need him to do what he said he was going to do, and address the affordability crisis, which he now calls a hoax.”
Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat, said that Trump’s doll remarks show how he is “completely out of touch with the American people and how they're struggling.”
The White House has since defended the president’s remarks.
“Maybe you'll pay $1 or two more, but you will get better quality, and you'll be supporting your fellow Americans by buying American and that's what the President was saying,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier this month.
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