President Donald Trump said late Wednesday night in a Truth Social post that the “story that the White House, or me, want to affix my name to Ford’s Theatre, in Washington, D.C., where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, is a ridiculous lie. It is FAKE NEWS! Who would possibly want a name on such a tragic place?” The post followed reporting that administration officials had discussed attaching his name to the historic playhouse.
According to MS NOW, people familiar with the effort said officials have been circulating a list of government sites that could carry Trump’s name in some way as he also seeks to rename the Kennedy Center after himself. Ford’s Theatre, where Lincoln was shot in 1865, was among the landmarks that came up in those talks, they said. One administration official said the idea had been discussed but did not know where it stood.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle called the story “completely false.” An Interior Department spokesperson said by email, “This is not true.” Ford’s Theatre and the Petersen House, where Lincoln later died, are owned by the Interior Department and maintained by the National Park Service as the Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site.
Ford’s Theatre name is set by statute as officials weigh other sites
One person with knowledge of the broader renaming effort said officials were looking for buildings and other sites that could carry the president’s name while presenting an easier legal path than the Kennedy Center push. People responsible for the historic site discussed the prospect over the past week, according to the report.
A former administration official, granted anonymity to discuss internal matters, told MS NOW that White House officials, advisers, and allies pitch ideas such as naming buildings after Trump to get on the president’s good side. The official said the president’s view is, “Why would I say no? Everybody’s trying to please me.” The former official added, “They know flattery gets them everything,” and said people wait to hear “How can I help you?” in return.
The name of Ford’s Theatre is set by a federal statute signed by former President Richard Nixon, so a formal renaming would almost certainly require an act of Congress. The administration has previously faced scrutiny over renaming efforts, such as when a reporter asked Trump why the Kennedy Center should bear his name, but he walked away without answering.
That constraint did not stop the administration from putting Trump’s name on the Institute of Peace or the Kennedy Center. Both moves drew immediate litigation, according to the report.
Since returning to office, his appointees have renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace for him, put his likeness on U.S. passports, an NPS pass, and a 24-karat gold $1 coin, and hung large banners with his face outside the departments of Justice, Labor, and Agriculture, the report said.
Officials have also moved ahead with plans for a 250-foot “triumphal” arch near Arlington National Cemetery, discussed opening a promenade at the Lincoln Memorial, demolished the East Wing of the White House for a new ballroom built to his specifications, and paved over the White House Rose Garden for a Mar-a-Lago-style patio, according to the report.
The president and top administration officials have also reportedly discussed putting his name on Penn Station in New York, Dulles International Airport in Virginia, and the new Washington Commanders stadium.
Trump has denied pursuing the renaming of Penn Station. Some Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation to rename Dulles for Trump. Then-White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in November that it would be “beautiful” for the Commanders’ stadium to bear Trump’s name.
Trump spoke at a June 2019 gala at Ford’s Theatre and said, “What a place,” before turning to the box where Lincoln was shot. “You look right there, and that says it all. That’s history at its highest,” he said.
In a 2022 video introducing “Trump digital trading cards,” he said, “This is Donald Trump, hopefully your favorite president of all time, better than Lincoln.” He also said, “I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was probably a great president – although I’ve always said, why wasn’t that settled? … We had a Civil War.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduced legislation in January that would bar the naming of federal buildings or land after a sitting president, retroactive to the Kennedy Center and the Institute of Peace. It has not advanced.
The director of the Ford’s Theatre Society and the chair of its board did not reply to a request for comment. The theater is currently staging “Come From Away,” part of a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks for which former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush served as honorary chairs.
Published: Sep 24, 2026 01:30 pm