Staff Reports
It seems like the folks at the Kennedy Center decided a little sprucing up was in order, and what better way to do that than to slap on a new name? In a move that’s causing quite the uproar in certain circles, the board voted to add President Trump’s name to the illustrious Kennedy Center. Now, it’s not every day that a space gets a facelift in such a grand, headline-grabbing manner. But leave it to Trump to quite literally make sure his name takes center stage—right before Kennedy.
As with any action taken by or involving the former president, this decision has sparked a firestorm of reactions, particularly from those taking up residence on the opposite side of the political aisle. Democrats, it appears, are not taking this news well. One might think the sky is falling with the way they’re carrying on. But then again, this isn’t the first time they’ve had an allergic reaction to anything Trump touches.
Their objections paint quite the dramatic picture. Some are calling it an act of sacrilege, desecrating the legacy of a “martyr” and heroic figure like JFK by tagging Trump’s name onto his beloved arts center. It’s as if they’ve chosen to forget the myriad of other, perhaps less reputable venues that proudly sport Trump’s moniker. But let’s not interrupt their theatrical performance on account of facts and realities.
However, it seems they are worried this is only the beginning. They fear a trend where Trump’s name might soon overshadow the history of other great Americans. Are they genuinely worried that a new statue of Trump might replace the Lincoln Memorial? That certainly sounds like a tall tale, or maybe even a bit of paranoia. But what about when some protesters last summer went around tearing apart historic statues and monuments to pieces? The silence from these same voices was deafening then.
The pièce de résistance in this tale, of course, is imagining how much President Trump’s enjoying all this fuss. It’s almost as if he planned this as another of his famous trolling efforts. The mere rearrangement of the Kennedy Center’s name serves as the perfect bait, and his critics took it hook, line, and sinker. It appears that a simple name change has caused quite the commotion, reviving the bricks and mortar of the center into a lively battleground of cultural and political significance.
