New signage, The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, is unveiled to show Trump’s name added on the Kennedy Center, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo) The head of the Kennedy Center has said he will seek $1m in damages after drummer Chuck Redd cancelled his annual Christmas Eve Jazz Jam when the venue was renamed to include the name of US president Donald Trump.
In a letter shared with the Associated Press (AP), Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell said Redd withdrew “at the last moment” because of the renaming. Grenell wrote that the decision was “very costly to a non-profit Arts institution” and said he would seek $1m in damages “for this political stunt”.
Redd, a drummer and vibraphone player who has led the holiday Jazz Jam since 2006, said in an email to the AP that he cancelled the event after seeing Trump’s name appear on the Kennedy Center website and then on the building.
“When I saw the name change … I chose to cancel our concert,” Redd said, as reported by the AP. He said the concert had become a regular holiday event and often included a student musician.
Trump appointed Grenell to lead the Kennedy Center after removing the previous leadership. The White House has said the renaming was approved by the board chosen by Trump.
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Scholars say the change may conflict with the law that created the centre as a memorial to John F Kennedy, and some historians argue that any name change would require approval from Congress.
The law establishing the Kennedy Center bars the board from turning the building into a memorial to anyone else or placing another person’s name on its exterior.
