Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is leading legislation aimed at what Democrats describe as President Donald Trump’s "narcissism." (Joe Maher)
If the legislation should pass, a federal building, piece of land or other federal asset that is currently named after a sitting president must be reverted to the name established by federal law before that president took office, according to the text of the bill.
The legislation follows Democratic outrage over the renaming of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. to the "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" in December 2025.
When asked about the senators' remarks and legislation, the White House told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration isn't focused on "branding."
"Overdue upgrades of national landmarks and lasting peace deals are historic initiatives that would not have been possible without President Trump’s bold leadership," White House spokeswoman Elizabeth Huston told Fox News Digital Wednesday. "The Administration’s focus isn’t on smart branding, but delivering on President Trump’s goal of Making America Great Again."
Previous presidents have had their names etched into the nation’s landmarks and institutions while still in office. Washington, D.C., for example, was named in 1791 while George Washington was serving as president as the new federal capital took shape, and in 1930 Interior Secretary Ray Lyman Wilbur said the Boulder Canyon Project’s dam would be called the "Hoover Dam" during Herbert Hoover’s presidency.
Workers install Donald J. Trump above the current signage on the Kennedy Center Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
President of the Trump–Kennedy Center Richard Grenell told Fox News Tuesday that "President Trump has saved the arts institution," noting that when he was tapped to lead the center, it was relying on debt reserves to pay staff.
"The board put President Trump forward, because President Trump saved the Kennedy Center. We have for decades, watched the Kennedy Center be ignored by the very people now who are standing up and complaining about the rescuer," Grenell said. "They're complaining about the fireman who's come in to literally rescue and put out the fire."
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Grenell said in 2025 that he was rolling out a "commonsense plan" to make the center prosperous again, including getting rid of debt, expanding fundraising and its endowment, and restoring programming that the administration argues appeals to a broader national audience. Fox News Digital previously reported the center nearly doubled its fundraising during the Kennedy Center Honors awards show in 2025 compared to the Biden administration, raising a record $23 million during the December 2025 event.
President of the Trump–Kennedy Center Richard Grenell told Fox News that "President Trump has saved the arts institution." (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
Democrats feverishly came out against the renaming of the iconic cultural center, with Sanders floating in December 2025 that he would introduce such legislation to prevent sitting presidents from renaming federal property after themselves, slamming the Kennedy Center name change as showing Trump's alleged "arrogance" and "narcissism."
Van Hollen said Tuesday that "Trump doesn’t get to slap his name on any public institution he chooses."
"We don’t have kings or dictators in America, and this legislation stops him or any future sitting president from creating monuments to glorify themselves — because these landmarks belong to the people, not to self-worshipers," the Maryland senator continued.
The U.S. Institute of Peace also was formally rebranded as the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in December 2025, as the administration continues working to dismantle the agency.
The institute is an independent, national institution funded by Congress that was established in 1984 under the Reagan administration to promote peace and diplomacy on the international stage.
The White House defended the rename in a comment to Fox News Digital at the time, saying the agency is a "a bloated, useless entity that blew $50 million per year while delivering no peace," while citing that Trump "ended eight wars in less than a year."
Lawmakers filed a lawsuit to remove Trump's name from the Kennedy Center in December 2025, while shuttering the Institute of Peace is still embroiled in court battles focused on whether the Trump administration controls the congressionally created agency.
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Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined the trio in co-sponsoring the legislation.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/sanders-backed-bill-jabs-trump-narcissism-ban-self-named-federal-buildings