Kennedy Center Jazz Concert Canceled Over Trump Renaming

A longstanding Christmas Eve jazz concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington has been canceled, following the addition of President Donald Trump's name to the venue's facade. The event, hosted annually for more than two decades, was set for December 24 but was called off by its leader, musician Chuck Redd, after the change was implemented last week.

Redd, a drummer and vibraphone player who has presided over the holiday Jazz Jam since 2006, made the decision upon seeing the updated signage and website. "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 said in an email to the Associated Press. The performance, which featured seven musicians and promised an evening of holiday music, had been a free tradition since the early 2000s, succeeding shows led by the late jazz bassist William Keter Betts. The Kennedy Center's website now lists the event as canceled, with no immediate comment from officials on refunds for any ticket holders or further details.

The renaming stems from actions taken by the center's board of trustees, which the White House said approved adding...