Let's talk about Trump's graffiti and tagging spree in DC.... - Belle of the Ranch

[TexasTowelie]

Well, howdy there internet people. It's Belle again. So, today we're going to talk about Trump's graffiti and tagging sprees in DC.

Trump has recently unleashed a flood of weird, wasteful, and frankly nonsensical declarations about names and plaques. It prompted a question that I think's worth going over. But first, what has he done? The biggest news is that the Kennedy Center's board voted to change its name to the Trump Kennedy Center. Imagine not only deciding to add your name to the Kennedy Center, but also deciding to give yourself top billing. I mean, it's not even alphabetical. But he wants to slap his tag on the side of the building despite the fact that the board doesn't actually have the power to change the name. It needs an act of Congress.

Former Representative Joseph Kennedy III, who is the grand nephew of the former president, took some jabs at the idea, saying, quote, "The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says."

Come on, Joseph. Don't give him ideas. We'll see the Trump Washington Monument or the Trump reflecting pool and golf course. Cynicism aside, Trump will undoubtedly tag the Kennedy Center building, at least for the time being.

While inevitable legal battles play out, then you have the truly bizarre plaques that were placed beneath portraits of presidents in the White House. The plaques are so inaccurate that even foreign outlets are fact-checking them and laughing at Trump's version of history. They're the political equivalent of scribblings on a bathroom stall with a Sharpie.

That led to the question, is Trump putting his name on everything going to make it harder to undo when he leaves office? Why do you think he's doing this? I actually think the opposite will end up being true. If he had, say, renovated golf courses in the DC area and named one after himself, it probably would have kept the name after he leaves office. But the widespread nature of his graffiti spree would likely increase the chances that they all end up being removed. Because if you're removing a bunch of random renaming ventures, you'll get rid of them all and they'll probably end up creating legislation that prohibits presidents from naming federal properties after themselves. The irony would be if the legislation was named the Trump Act.

Why do I think he's doing it? A lot of people as they reach advanced age, well, they look back and they try to define their legacy. It might just be me, but those who made lasting impacts on the world were generally concerned with a legacy of actions and things completed. They didn't care about things being named after them. And oddly enough, they got things named after them because they made the world better and helped people. Maybe Trump doesn't see that as likely. Anyway, it's just a thought. Y'all have a good day.

[sop]

1. Trump renames RFK Jr.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. MaddowBlog-One day later, officials scramble to add Trump's name to the Kennedy Center

It’s worth describing what transpired at the Kennedy Center accurately: A group of people vandalized one of the nation’s premier performing arts centers.

It’s worth describing what transpired at the Kennedy Center today accurately:

The president’s operation just vandalized one of the nation’s premier performing arts centers. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-12-19T20:59:47.413Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/one-day-later-officials-scramble-to-add-trumps-name-to-the-kennedy-center

More importantly, Team Trump characterized the name change as a done deal, which it was not. Congress created the name for the Kennedy Center, and at no point did lawmakers delegate powers to the center’s board to rename the institution unilaterally.

The president’s operation, which has never been overly concerned with following laws, didn’t appear to care: By Thursday night, the center’s official website had been changed to include Trump’s name.

By Friday morning, crews were already hard at work. The Washington Post reported:

The Kennedy Center installed President Donald Trump’s name on its exterior Friday morning, a dramatic change to a building established by law as a ‘living memorial’ to a slain president. […]

A blue tarp was stretched across a portion of the building the next morning as a small team on scaffolding started the work. Loud drilling could be heard nearby. Inside the building, large letters spelling ‘Trump’ could be seen on the floor of the entry hall, according to a photograph obtained by The Washington Post.

It’s hard to know where to start with an initiative this ridiculous, but one of the first things that jumped out at me was the speed with which this came together. The president’s operation managed to acquire the materials, arrange the crews, secure the equipment and begin the installation work over the course of roughly half a day.

....Nevertheless, by midday Friday, the crews were gone and the arts center’s façade was changed.

I’m currently outside of the Kennedy Center:

— Phil Lewis (@phillewis.bsky.social) 2025-12-19T19:46:00.030Z

.......At this point, we could talk about the weird double “the.” We could also joke about the fact that this is now apparently a “memorial center” to two people, one of whom is alive.

While we’re at it, we could draw attention to the fact that the fonts don’t exactly match — and given the Republican administration’s interest in type settings, this is tough to overlook — while simultaneously noting the encouraging fact that the placement of Trump’s name will make it easy to take it down in the future without disturbing the original lettering.....

The president and his team have already gone to outlandish lengths to vandalize the White House. They’re now adding additional buildings to their target list.