A Christmas Tradition Comes to a Sudden End

Sometimes a name change is just a name change. And sometimes it's enough to cancel Christmas. Well, Christmas Eve jazz, at least.

The Kennedy Center's traditional "Jazz Jams" concert, a holiday fixture since 2006, was abruptly scrapped this week after musician Chuck Redd decided he couldn't go through with it. His reason? Trump's name had just been added to both the Kennedy Center's website and the building's exterior.

"When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert," Redd told the Associated Press in an email on Christmas Eve. The Kennedy Center's website confirmed the cancellation shortly after.

How a Cultural Icon Got Renamed

Earlier this month, Trump-appointed board members voted to rename the venue to honor both Trump and former President John F. Kennedy. The building's facade now declares itself "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."

The venue, originally named after Kennedy alone, has long been considered a bipartisan symbol of American culture and the arts. That symbolic status is now very much in question.

The decision has sparked sharp criticism from Democrats, members of the Kennedy family, and arts advocates who see the move as politicizing what was meant to be a unifying cultural institution.

Did the Board Even Have the Power to Do This?

Here's where things get legally interesting. Legal experts have raised questions about whether the board actually has the authority to rename the center without going back to Congress. Since Congress originally approved the building's name, the thinking goes, Congress might need to authorize any changes.

Despite these concerns, the Kennedy Center moved quickly to update its signage and online materials to reflect the new name. Whether that name sticks may ultimately be a question for lawmakers or the courts to decide.