Sen. John Kennedy Proposes Rule on Naming Buildings After Living Public Officials

On Sunday, Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, expressed his belief that no buildings should be named after living public officials. He suggested creating a rule to prevent such renaming efforts.

This statement comes amidst President Donald Trump’s ongoing attempts to rename the Kennedy Center in his honor. Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has also aimed to rename several notable federal buildings in Washington, D.C., after himself.

Kennedy criticized the idea of spending public funds for an official’s personal promotion, stating, “The White House sees it differently, but… you can’t spend public money to… promote yourself,” during an interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

His remarks coincided with the airing of a new advertisement promoting Trump, funded by the federal government. Following this, Kennedy reiterated his call for a ban on naming buildings after living officials.

“I may end up with a sombrero on my head, but I also think we ought to have a rule that no politician can have a building named after him when he’s alive,” he said, referencing Trump’s previous mockery of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries with AI-generated videos.

Trump has faced legal obstacles regarding attempts to rename federal buildings. A federal court has ruled that only Congress has the authority to change the Kennedy Center’s name, which the president sought to include his own on its facade.

The State Department also added Trump’s name to the U.S. Institute of Peace last year, but a motion has been filed to prevent officials from applying that name to the building amid ongoing legal challenges.

Additionally, Trump suggested he would like to see New York’s Penn Station and Dulles Airport named after him in exchange for a funding deal. He has even proposed a project to connect the Lincoln Memorial to the Potomac River, which he referred to as the “Trump Promenade,” although he seemed uncertain about the name.