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A Christmas Eve jazz concert at the Kennedy Center was canceled just days after the White House announced that the president Donald Trump‘s name would be added to iconic Washington, D.C. performing arts institution
The show’s host, musician Chuck Redd, who has led the “Jazz Jams” at the Kennedy Center since 2006, said he canceled his performance after Trump’s name was added to the venue.
“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website, and then a few hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert” Redd told the Associated Press.
Fox News Digital has contacted the Kennedy Center for comment. The Kennedy Center website says the show is canceled.
Workers install Donald J. Trump on top of current signage at the Kennedy Center Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
The Kennedy Center the council voted unanimously on Dec. 18 to rename the institution the “Trump-Kennedy Center,” prompting a swift backlash from members of the Kennedy family who said the move undermined the legacy of President John F. Kennedy.
Maria Shriver, Kennedy’s niece, criticized the decisioncalling it “beyond comprehension”.
Last week, workers added Trump’s name outside the center, and the website header was changed to “The Trump Kennedy Center.”
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Protesters hold signs at a designated protest point in front of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, one day after a Trump-appointed board of trustees voted to add President Donald Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Another Kennedy niece, Kerry Kennedy, has pledged to remove Trump’s name from the building after he leaves office.
President Lyndon Johnson signed a bill in 1964 designating the center as a living memorial to Kennedy after his assassination in 1963. The law prohibits the board from making the center a memorial to anyone or putting another person’s name on the exterior of the building, the AP reported.
Trump was elected chairman of the Kennedy Center board in February, after removing 18 trustees appointed by the former president. Joe Biden.
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New signage, the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, is unveiled at the Kennedy Center, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
Since Trump returned to office on Jan. 20, several artists have canceled their performances at the Kennedy Center, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, who canceled a production of “Hamilton.”
Redd has toured around the world and performed with many musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, according to his website biography.
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Fox News Digital has contacted Redd for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
