Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democratic lawmaker from Ohio and an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, has publicly challenged the White House’s claim that the board unanimously voted to rename the iconic performing arts institution the Trump–Kennedy Center.
In a video posted on social media platform X, Beatty said she attempted to raise objections and ask questions during the board call but was repeatedly muted and not allowed to speak.
“I was on that call, and as I tried to push my button to voice my concern, to ask questions and certainly not to vote in support of this, I was muted,” Beatty said. “Each time I tried to speak, I was muted.”
She added that online participants were prevented from voicing concerns, yet the vote was later described as unanimous.
“For the record, this was not unanimous,” Beatty wrote alongside the video. She further alleged that the vote was not listed on the meeting’s official agenda, calling the process “not consensus” and describing it as “censorship.”
Beatty also questioned the legality of the name change, noting that the Kennedy Center was created by an act of Congress and that lawmakers therefore have a formal role in decisions affecting the institution.
The controversy follows an announcement earlier Thursday by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said the Kennedy Center board — whose members were selected by President Donald Trump — voted unanimously to rename the Washington, D.C.-based cultural landmark the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
The change was later confirmed by Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, who said the board of trustees approved the new name unanimously.
When asked to respond to Beatty’s claims, the White House referred inquiries to Leavitt’s original statement.
The decision has triggered backlash from members of the Kennedy family and from Democratic lawmakers. Following Beatty’s post, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Mark Warner, and Rep. Rick Larsen — all ex officio members of the board — issued a joint statement criticizing the process.
“At today’s meeting, a sitting Member of Congress was muted, and participants were prevented from speaking — actions that reflect a troubling lack of transparency and respect for the rule of law,” the statement said. “This whole process displays the corruption that permeates the entire Trump Administration.”
The dispute adds to growing political tension surrounding the Kennedy Center, long viewed as a bipartisan national cultural institution, and raises broader questions about governance, transparency, and congressional authority over federally chartered organizations.
