Rep. Bob Onder from Missouri has dropped a bold proposal that’s sure to stir the cultural pot. His Make Entertainment Great Again Act aims to swap the name of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the Donald J. Trump Center, a nod to a figure he calls a towering icon of modern entertainment.

According to Breitbart, Onder’s bill celebrates Trump’s four-decade footprint in pop culture, from starring in The Apprentice to cameos in hits like Home Alone 2. The press release touts Trump’s knack for captivating audiences across television, film, and even board games as justification for this seismic rebrand.

This isn’t just a symbolic gesture, though. Onder argues Trump’s influence as a cultural heavyweight, paired with his recent role as chairman of the Kennedy Center’s board, makes him the right name for a venue representing American arts.

Trump’s Cultural Legacy Under the Spotlight

The bill’s announcement leans hard on Trump’s entertainment resume, pointing to 15 seasons of The Apprentice and its Celebrity Apprentice spinoff as proof of his grip on viewers. Even across the pond, British audiences tuned in, cementing his global reach in popular media.

Trump’s screen time didn’t stop at reality TV, with memorable spots in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and a historic double hosting gig on Saturday Night Live. Onder’s camp insists no other president has matched this level of cultural penetration in the arts.

“You would be hard pressed to find a more significant cultural icon in the past 40 years,” Onder declared. But let’s be real, while Trump’s media presence is undeniable, tying his name to a national arts institution might feel more like a branding exercise than a tribute to artistic merit.

Reforms and Resistance at the Kennedy Center

Since taking the helm at the Kennedy Center, Trump has pushed for changes, slashing what the release calls “woke programming” and targeting a $72 million debt left by prior leadership. His team aims to reshape the venue’s $234 million budget with an eye on fiscal restraint and traditional values.

Under his watch, drag shows aimed at children have been axed, the “Social Impact” department shuttered, and former president Deborah Rutter shown the door. Faith- and family-focused events, like a packed screening of The King of Kings by Angel Studios, signal a pivot to content aligning with conservative priorities.

President Richard Grenell has doubled down, promising more programming rooted in values over ideology. Yet, for every step toward this vision, there’s pushback, revealing just how deep the cultural divide runs in spaces meant to unite through art.

Backlash from the Left and Arts Community

The reaction from progressive circles has been predictably fiery, with Broadway’s Patti LuPone quoted by The New Yorker saying the “Trumpified” Kennedy Center “should get blown up.” Such overheated rhetoric only fuels the notion that some on the left would rather torch institutions than see them reflect a different worldview.

Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda and producer Jeffrey Seller yanked their show from the venue in protest, while actors reportedly walked out of a Les Misérables performance attended by Trump and the first lady. Drag queens also staged a demonstration inside the center, a move that seems more performative than productive given the stakes of actual policy debate.

These stunts highlight a refusal to engage with change, preferring grandstanding over dialogue. If the arts are truly about expression, shouldn’t they withstand a shift in leadership without resorting to tantrums?

A Broader Conservative Push and Final Thoughts

Onder’s proposal isn’t a lone effort, as it rides a wave of conservative momentum to reclaim the Kennedy Center from perceived left-wing dominance. A June measure by Rep. Mike Simpson to name the Opera House after Melania Trump, honorary chair of the board, shows this isn’t just about one name but a broader cultural recalibration.

Onder also backed $256.7 million in funding for the center through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, with most earmarked for repairs and security. This blend of financial support and symbolic renaming suggests a strategy to both preserve and redefine a national treasure.

Ultimately, the Make Entertainment Great Again Act is less about erasing history than staking a claim in a battle over values in the arts. Whether renaming a storied venue after Trump elevates or politicizes its mission, the debate itself exposes how even curtain calls can become cultural combat zones.