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The leadership board of the prestigious performing arts venue has decided to be renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center, according to a statement from the White House.
White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt declared online that the board's approval was consensus, crediting "the extraordinary job President Trump has done over the last year in rescuing the building."
"This is destined to be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt reach new levels of prestige and accomplishment," Leavitt added.
The proposed move is shaping up as extremely contentious, notably in Washington, D.C., where the center has been an architectural and cultural icon since its founding and original naming for President John F. Kennedy.
Soon after assuming the presidency, President Donald Trump dismissed all the center's existing board members and named loyalists in their place. The reconstituted board subsequently voted to name Trump the chairman.
The president helped procure approximately $257 million in federal funds to pay for extensive repairs and other financial needs at the national venue.
The vision for a Washington-based performing arts center was first proposed in the 1950s. Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the 35th president, in 1963, the future venue was named in his honor.
This is a developing story. Additional information will be provided shortly.
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