Beatty said she felt compelled to address what she described as a serious breach of transparency and democratic process.
United States Congresswoman Joyce Beatty has disputed claims that there was a unanimous decision to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after President Donald Trump, alleging that dissenting voices were deliberately silenced during a board meeting and that due process was ignored.
Beatty, who represents Ohio's 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and serves as an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board, said she was muted repeatedly during a recent call and denied the opportunity to speak, raise concerns, or register her opposition.
She lamented that the outcome was later presented to the public as unanimous.
Speaking in a video recorded from her congressional office in Washington, D.C., Beatty said she felt compelled to address what she described as a serious breach of transparency and democratic process.
“For the record, this was not unanimous,” Beatty said. “I was on that call, and I was muted and not allowed to speak or voice my opposition to this move. This was not on the agenda. This was not consensus. This is censorship,” she said.
According to the congresswoman, as the meeting progressed, participants who joined virtually were prevented from contributing to the discussion. Beatty said that each time she attempted to activate her microphone to ask questions or express concern, she was muted.
“I tried to push my button to voice my concern, to ask questions, and certainly not to vote in support of this,” she said. “Each time I tried to speak, I was muted. Participants who were online were not allowed to voice their concerns, yet at the end it was announced that the vote was unanimous.”
Beatty described the announcement as misleading and warned that mischaracterising the process undermines public trust, particularly when it involves a nationally significant cultural institution.
The Kennedy Center, which serves as America’s national cultural centre, was established by an act of Congress in 1958 and opened in 1971 as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy.
Beatty stressed that because of its unique legal and historical status, Congress has an explicit role in its oversight and any major changes to its name or structure.
“Clearly, Congress has a say in this,” Beatty said. “This center was created by the Congress, and any attempt to rename it without proper legislative involvement is an attempt to evade the law and silence the will of the people.”
She added that the reported move represents a broader pattern of bypassing established legal and institutional safeguards.
“This is just another attempt to evade the law and not let the people have a say,” she said.
Beatty, a longtime supporter of the arts, said the controversy cuts deeper than politics and strikes at the heart of artistic freedom and democratic governance. Throughout her time in Congress, she said, she has actively supported the Kennedy Center’s mission and participated in its programmes.
“As a strong supporter of the arts, and as someone who, during my entire time here in Congress, has participated in the Kennedy Center’s programs, I want to salute all the artists who have performed there,” she said.
Beatty said she would continue to press for accountability and transparency, insisting that no decision of such magnitude should be taken without open debate, proper procedure, and respect for dissenting voices.
“This is about process, democracy, and the rule of law,” she said. “And I will not be silent when those principles are undermined.”
Earlier, Karoline Leavitt, Assistant to the President and the 36th White House Press Secretary, in an X post, said she had been informed that the board of the Kennedy Center had unanimously voted to rename the facility the Trump-Kennedy Center in recognition of what she described as President Trump’s role over the past year in restoring the building’s infrastructure, finances, and reputation.
She added that the decision was intended to honour both Trump and President John F. Kennedy and expressed optimism that the centre would achieve new levels of success and prominence.
“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,” she said.