The move follows President Trump appointing himself chairman of the board for the institution, which has led to show cancellations and boycotts
The opera house at the Kennedy Center might be named after First Lady Melania Trump. Why? Ask these House Republicans.
On Tuesday, Republicans on the Appropriations Committee approved an amendment in the annual spending bill to rename the Opera House in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House,” The Washington Post reports.
The Opera House is the second-largest theater at the Kennedy Center with 2,364 seats.
The renaming proposal was approved by the Republican-dominated panel 33-25 on Tuesday, and comes as the Trump administration has taken over aspects of the Kennedy Center in the last several months. Back in February, President Donald Trump appointed himself chairman of the board for the institution. As is tradition, the first lady serves as an honorary chair of the Kennedy Center board.
Back in June, both Melania and Donald Trump attended a showing of Les Miserables at the Kennedy Center, which was boycotted by at least 10 cast members who refused to play for the MAGA president.
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Following Trump’s self-appointment as Kennedy Center chairman, at least 26 performances were canceled, including 15 by the acts themselves. Issa Rae canceled a Feb. 14 show, citing “an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums.” On Feb. 13, Low Cut Connie, the Philadelphia rock and soul band fronted by Adam Weiner, canceled their March 19 concert.
Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeffrey Seller were supposed to bring Hamilton to the Kennedy Center in 2026, but canceled the run as well. Meanwhile, the Kennedy Center’s Tapestry of Pride — originally scheduled for June 5 to 8 during Washington, D.C.’s World Pride Festival — was informed that their events had been canceled.
