Of
Mario Platero
The jazz group canceled its scheduled performance at the Kennedy Center, now also named after Trump
Lights off a Washington for the New Year’s: i Cookersa famous ensemble of jazz musicians who were supposed to celebrate the arrival of the new year at the legendary this evening as a tradition Kennedy Center «in the fire of Soul» as the advertising posters stated, he canceled everything just two days ago. The reason, political, to contest the all too obvious passage in America from the cult of the institution to the cult of personality: for a week the Kennedy Center has been called the Trump-Kennedy Center by decision of the board of directors made up of friends of Donald Trump and led, by his self-appointment as “Chairman” of the center, by the American president himself.
This decision in the name of the Trumpian cult of personalityobviously shook theAmerica. Before the Cookers, Chuck Reedwho had been playing with his group for the show for 20 years Christmas night had canceled his appearance, again two days ago, Doug Varone and Dancers announced that they had canceled the two shows in April that would have celebrated the group’s 40th anniversary.
Heroine he anticipated that the group will lose $40,000 for this gesture, adding: “It’s devastating financially but exhilarating morally.” Various other artists did the same and in front of the protest, the general director of the theatre, Richard Grenell he immediately responded that these are left-wing activists booked by the previous leadership and that “boycotting a show to show your support for art is a form of Madness Syndrome.”
He also made threats cases in the courts against the artists for millions of dollars in damages. Among the protests also those of the family Kennedywith Caroline, the daughter of the murdered president (struck yesterday by a very serious loss, the loss of her daughter Tatiana) determined to withdraw every image of her father or his presidency from the theater.
This decision of change the name is considered by many illegal as the authorization of the Congress who, in 1964 voted unanimously to call the new theater, wanted by President Eisenhowera Republican, with the name of president killed in Dallas in 1963. The formal name still carved into the marble of the large structure is “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” A real one memorial therefore – like the Jefferson Memorial or the Lincoln Memorialdedicated to a man who at the time of his assassination had become the symbol of a nation in mourning.
The fact that Trump wanting his name even ahead of that of the slain president raised quite a few eyebrows. Now the center is called The Donald J Trump and (sotto) John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For the Performing Arts. La deputata Joyce Beatty, who sits on the arts center’s board, has reported the action in court, recalling that an act of Congress was needed which did not provide at the time for the name to be changed and requesting that the addition be removed. Not only that, he said that at the time of the vote in a board of directors of the Center gathered at Mar-a-Lago and not to Washington (of which she is a member as an institutional representative) her telephone connection was interrupted at the time of the explanations of vote, preventing her from speaking and voting. The Council then said that it had been a vote “unanimously”.
So far the news. But the decision on the name of the Kennedy Center it is the sharpest note of a trend which in this 2025, which is being archived, has changed an untouchable principle in history and American traditionthe absolute supremacy of the nation over the cult of personality. Recognitions for presidents always take place “after” leaving the political scene and always, to have institutional value, with formal and generally bipartisan passages of Congress. In the case of Kennedy Center, The need to equip the capital with an adequate theater had been debated since 1955. Then it was the President Eisenhower to propose and sign the initiative then presented to Congress in 1958. Would his name have been Eisenhower? No obviously, in the tradition of good taste and that understatement that dates back to Pilgrim Fathers, the suggested name was simply the National Cultural Center. The center was to be privately financed and independent from politics which would contribute little capital expenditure.
When in 1962 Kennedy became president and decided to go ahead with the project that had stalled. He named his I could Jackie and the Eisenhower’s wife co-chairs of a committee to mobilize funds that he managed to raise 30 million dollarsagain in complete bipartisan spirit. Then Kennedy nominated Roger Stevens, a respected one Broadway producer at the helm of the theater to supervise the construction works and start-up of the project. Stevens then remained in office for 40 years, again in a bipartisan spirit and followed the theater from its inauguration in 1971 until his retirement due to seniority.
It is especially striking that this passage of tradition takes place in the year, 2026 in this case, in which America celebrates 250 years of its Independence, also because the history of the Trump name on the Kennedy Center is not an isolated case. Last October the Treasury Department announced that it was considering issuing a 250th anniversary commemorative one-dollar coin featuring the image of Donald Trump. The secondary problem is that federal law prevents the image of a living person from being printed on the American currency. Still on this road, last December 3rd Department of State showed a photo in which theInstitute of Peacea hallowed institution in the department, had the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace just above it in silver letters. On December 22, Trump himself announced the construction of two new warships which will be called “Trump Class“the first of a new American naval fleet. And so on, with a proposal to change the current one Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for train and subway stations in Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA!) with the Metro Rail which will be called “Trump Train”. Then there is the plan to put Trump’s effigy in place of that of Benjamin Franklin on the $100 bill or to rename the Dulles Airport a Washington Trump Airportup to the idea of adding the sculpture of Trump’s face to Mount Rushmore and various other curious, but significant ideas of the times.
It is in these small signals that historical passages for a nation are often deduced. It is possible that theAmerica that we have known, beyond the news, is about to completely change its skin? Everything is certainly possible, but for us, who have seen the results of the cult of personality, it is not desirable. The only reassuring reflection is that America is bigger than Trump. Some are starting to doubt it, but time will tell.
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December 31, 2025
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