The internet is having a field day over Karoline Leavitt’s unintentionally hilarious statement about the renaming of the Kennedy Center.
On Dec. 19, workers added President Donald Trump’s name to the façade of the legendary performing arts complex in Washington, one day after the board voted to change the name to the “Trump-Kennedy Center.”
Opened in 1971, the “John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” was envisioned as a memorial to the assassinated former president, honoring his contributions to the arts. Kennedy’s death was one of the most defining events of the 20th century, but that bit of history seemingly escaped Leavitt, as she appeared not to realize he was dead.
In a congratulatory note to both presidents, she wrote on X: “Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur.”
I have just been informed that the highly respected Board of the Kennedy Center, some of the most successful people from all parts of the world, have just voted unanimously to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center, because of the unbelievable work President Trump…
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) December 18, 2025
Independent journalist Aaron Rupar responded to the note with an earnest question for the White House press secretary, “Karoline, are you aware that President Kennedy is no longer with us?”
“His death was under-reported,” teased one, followed by a joke that he secretly “lives in Antarctica with Elvis and Bruce Lee.”
Reading between the lines of her confusing statement, one person quipped: “There’s only one way for them to be a great team…”
People were having way too much fun at her expense, flooding X with memes and nonstop jokes. “She probably thinks the center was named after the current Health Secretary,” said one, referring to JFK’s nephew, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Another comment simply read, “Make it stop.”
Leavitt’s post was also slapped with a community note on X to correct another error in her short announcement. It turns out that the Kennedy Center board does not have the authority to officially change the name, as the memorial is legally protected under federal law and has a statutory designation.
According to legal experts, a new law passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president would be needed to change the name officially, news outlets reported.
Six Democratic lawmakers, all ex officio members of the Kennedy Center board, signed a statement decrying Trump’s stunt. It read in part, “We will be unwavering in our commitment to holding this Administration accountable.”
For now, Leavitt’s statement is prompting hundreds of posts and comments remarking on the press secretary’s apparent cluelessness.
“‘This will be a truly great team,’ One is a real estate developer, and the other has been dead for 62 years,” wrote one on X. “The synergy is going to be electric.”
