Sen. Kennedy Reveals The Real Reason To Stop Living Politicians
Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana wants a hard rule. According to him, no living politician may have a structure named in their honor. This idea comes after President Trump tried to put his name on several federal sites.
The senator spoke on Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” He told the host that the current system allows for self-promotion. “You can’t spend public money to promote yourself,” Kennedy said. He added that a simple rule would fix the issue. “I also think that we ought to have a rule that no politician can have a building named after him while he’s alive,” Kennedy told CBS News.
President Trump has moved to change names on many federal buildings. According to the New York Post, his team renamed the Institute of Peace last year. They called it the Donald J. Trump United States Institute of Peace. The administration also tried to rebrand the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Trump wanted to call it the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center.
A judge blocked this change because only Congress has the power to rename it. The White House put a tarp over the center’s name after the court order. Trump’s name was briefly on the building’s face before it came down. Per Fox News, courts ruled that the move violated the law. Florida Republicans also renamed an airport near Trump’s Palm Beach resort. They now call it the President Donald J. Trump International Airport.
Sen. Kennedy believes his proposal would end these fights. “I think that would settle a lot of this controversy,” he told Breitbart. He noted that his home state of Louisiana already has such a rule.
“We have that rule in Louisiana. It works pretty well,” Kennedy stated. He made it clear that the rule applies to everyone. “I don’t think any public official, including President Trump or Kristi Noem or John Kennedy, should spend public money on private ads for themselves,” he said. Kennedy admitted his idea might seem bold to some. “I may end up with a sombrero on my head,” he joked. But he stands by the principle that taxpayer funds should not fund a politician’s ego. He argued that public money is for the public, not for a personal monument.
The White House sees the situation differently than Kennedy does. Kennedy noted this split in his Sunday interview. “The White House sees it differently, but … you can’t spend public money to … promote yourself,” he said. The senator says his bill would block future renaming attempts. He wants to stop the practice before it spreads further. Per the New York Post, Trump even flirted with demolishing the Kennedy Center complex.
That threat came after the court blocked the name change. The debate now moves to Capitol Hill. Kennedy says the time for self-naming is over. No living politician should get a building named after them.