The decision to add President Donald Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center has been controversial and possibly illegal. It may also be a continuing source of ridicule, as a comedy writer and political activist has preempted the president’s team by purchasing the website names associated with the renamed institution, including trumpkennedycenter.org.
A comedy writer purchased the ‘Trump Kennedy Center’ domains before the name change
Toby Morton, a former writer for shows including South Park and MADtv, was recently revealed to be the owner of the internet domain names trumpkennedycenter.com and trumpkennedycenter.org. Morton purchased the domain names in August, anticipating that the president and his allies who were appointed to the Kennedy Center board would make the name change.
“As soon as Trump began gutting the Kennedy Center board earlier this year, I thought, ‘Yep, that name’s going on the building,'” Morton said in a recent interview.
Mock website parodies the Kennedy Center and references the Epstein scandal
As of Monday morning, the TrumpKennedyCenter.org website was live. Labeled as “A National Institution Dedicated to Power and Loyalty,” the site’s write-up claims, “Here, tradition is preserved, narratives are curated, and performances are elevated beyond mere art. What is remembered matters. What is omitted matters more.”
The site advertises a New Year’s performance by “the Epstein dancers.” It also includes a line including “A,” “J. Trump,” and “13-Year-Old Girl,” with black redaction bars in between in an apparent reference to the redacted Epstein files that have been released by the Justice Department. A disclaimer at the bottom of the site notes that it is “parody.”
Latest in the controversial Trump takeover of the Kennedy Center
The satire posted using the Trump Kennedy Center domain represents the latest embarrassment for the president as he has increasingly asserted control over the institution. The announcement that Trump’s name would be added to the building has been heavily criticized by legal experts and members of the Kennedy family, and dissenting members of the organization quickly contradicted the talking point that the name change decision was unanimous. Trump’s micromanaging of the center’s annual honors ceremony, including him weighing in on honorees and personally hosting the event, was met with plummeting ratings for the ceremony’s television broadcast.
Now, the criticism of Trump over his Kennedy Center actions has carried over to a website posting in the name of the institution. Now being run by an experienced satirist, the “Trump Kennedy Center” site is mocking Trump and bringing more attention to his scandals as well.