Sen. John Kennedy said Sunday that no politician should have a public building named after them while still alive, as President Donald Trump continues efforts to put his name on federal landmarks.
The Louisiana Republican told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that public officials, including Trump, should not “spend public money on private ads for themselves.” He said the White House sees it differently, but added there ought to be a rule against using public money for self-promotion.
Kennedy then went further. “I also think that we ought to have a rule that no politician can have a building named after him while he’s alive,” he said. “I think that would settle a lot of this controversy. We have that rule in Louisiana. It works pretty well.” Host Margaret Brennan said she would watch to see whether he introduces legislation.
The comments came as Trump has pushed to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after himself. A federal judge has blocked some of those attempts, The Hill reported. The State Department last year added Trump’s name to the U.S. Institute of Peace. Former institute employees have gone to court to stop crews from carving the name on the building.
Kennedy, who is not related to the Kennedy family tied to the arts center, made the remarks while discussing a taxpayer-funded advertisement promoting Trump that has aired on multiple networks. He listed Trump, Homeland Security’s Kristi Noem, and himself as officials who should not use public money that way.
Brennan had asked about criticism of government-paid image ads. Kennedy framed both the ads and the building names as the same problem: public resources used to promote a living officeholder.
No bill was filed Sunday. The senator presented the idea as a simple rule, not a detailed proposal. Trump’s legal fights over the Kennedy Center and other buildings are already in court.
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