Recent discussions surrounding the removal of President Donald Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have led to a circulating claim on social media. This claim suggests that Trump is proposing to construct a massive building encasing the monument, bearing his name. The rumor has prompted concerns and calls for verification.
The Claim: Donald Trump plans to build a large structure around the Kennedy Center.
This assertion originated on X, with a post stating that Trump’s "newest plan to get around court orders stopping him from adding his name to the Kennedy Center is to build a much bigger gold-colored building like a shell all around the Kennedy Center, which will have his name on the outside."
While some users appeared to endorse this idea, others expressed criticism and questioned its validity, prompting a need for fact-checking.
Fact Check: The claim originated as satire.
An investigation into this claim reveals it to be false and unsubstantiated. There is no credible evidence to support this rumor. Searches on major search engines like Google did not yield any reports from reputable news organizations, which would typically cover such a significant development.
Furthermore, no credible reports supporting the rumor were found on Trump’s or his administration’s official social media channels. The original post making this claim was published by an X account that identifies itself as satirical in its bio.
A fact check conducted by Grok stated: "There is no evidence or report of Donald Trump planning to build any gold-colored shell around the Kennedy Center to circumvent court orders on naming rights. The account openly describes its content as ‘halfway true comedy and satire’ that improves on facts for humorous effect."
Kennedy Center removes Donald Trump’s name
In a recent court order, a federal judge mandated the immediate removal of President Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center. An official from the Kennedy Center confirmed to the judge that all references to Trump, both internal and external, as well as online, had been removed in compliance with the court’s directive. This action followed the removal of Trump’s name from the center’s facade, which had been added six months prior after a board of trustees voted to rebrand the venue.