Kennedy Center Honors to be held off-site amid battle over adding Trump’s name to venue

Washington's Capital One Arena will host this year's Kennedy Center Honors instead of the center's usual riverfront home, a spokesperson confirmed Friday. The 49th ceremony is set for December 7, and the 2026 honorees will be announced later. No reason for the move was given, and few other details were available, according to The Independent.

The venue change follows a fight over putting President Donald Trump's name on the building. The board of trustees, whose members Trump appointed, voted unanimously to add it, and workers began putting his name on the exterior after the 2025 honors, which he hosted. A federal judge has twice ruled that congressional approval is required, and the board voted last month to close the center after the court blocked restoring the name. Trump said in social media posts that the building needs critical safety repairs, but that they would happen only if his name could go up. Lawmakers have set aside $257 million for structural work.

Federal law bars the board from turning the center into a tribute to anyone other than John F. Kennedy, to whom Congress dedicated it as a living memorial in 1964, or from placing another person's name on its exterior.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →