John F. Kennedy Center Set for Significant Renaming to Trump-Kennedy Performing Arts Center, According to White House Statement.

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The leadership board of the prestigious performing arts venue has approved a measure to be renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center, per an announcement by the White House.

White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt declared online that the board's approval was consensus, citing "the extraordinary job President Trump has done over the last year in rescuing the building."

"This promises to be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt reach new levels of success and grandeur," Leavitt added.

The proposed move is shaping up as deeply divisive, especially in Washington, D.C., where the center has served as an beloved institution since its construction and christening for President John F. Kennedy.

Background of the Institution

Soon after assuming the presidency, President Donald Trump replaced all the center's sitting board members and named loyalists in their stead. The freshly appointed board subsequently voted to name Trump the chairman.

The president helped procure approximately $257 million in appropriated money to pay for extensive repairs and associated costs at the national venue.

Inception

The vision for a Washington-based performing arts center was first proposed in the 1950s. Following the murder of President John F. Kennedy, the 35th president, in 1963, the then-under-construction venue was dedicated to his memory.

This report is being updated. Additional information will be provided shortly.