Does the new Trump-Kennedy sign at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have gold appliques like President Donald Trump added to the walls of the Oval Office? No, that's not true: Though Trump's name was added, there were no news reports that gold ornaments were added to the facade of the Kennedy Center. Photos taken by Lead Stories on Dec. 19, 2025, do not show Neoclassical gold ornaments on the Modern facade. An image posted on Bluesky appears to be satirical, with added gold appliques that appear to be copies of those in the Oval Office. The account that posted the photo is Derek Guy, a well-known writer who focuses on men's fashion and is critical of Republican politicians and their style.
The claim originated from a December 19, 2025, post on Bluesky account @dieworkwear.bsky.social (archived here) which opened:
I'm currently outside of the Kennedy Center:
This is what the image on Bluesky looked like at the time of writing:
(Image Source: Lead Stories screenshot of bsky.app/dieworkwear.bsky.social.)
In the building and interior design trade, three-dimensional carved or molded wall decorations like those are called appliques or onlays. Flat-backed so as to attach to a wall, their fronts are typically ornate, especially in Neoclassical architecture like The White House. Lead Stories took two photographs of the new signage at the Trump-Kennedy Center on the evening of Dec. 19, 2025. There are no wall decorations added to the Modern building's facade:
(Image Source: Photo taken by Lead Stories Dec. 19, 2025.)
Here is another photo of the Trump - Kennedy Center facade:
(Image Source: Photo taken by Lead Stories Dec. 19, 2025.)
The gold appliques shown in the image posted on Bluesky appear to match those seen in the Oval Office, but flipped upside down.
This Associated Press photo was published on The Guardian website (archived here) on Aug. 31, 2025, and it shows the gold appliques circled in red by Lead Stories:
(Image Source: Lead Stories screenshot of Guardian.com website, red circles added by Lead Stories.)
Writer Derek Guy, who calls himself The "Menswear Guy" and posted the altered photo to Bluesky, maintains a humorous social media presence focused on men's fashion (archived here) and frequently comments on Republicans' fashion choices. The post on Bluesky appears to have been intended as a joke but was interpreted as factual by some users unfamiliar with his online persona.
After the White House announced the Kennedy Center board had voted unanimously to rename the building the "Trump-Kennedy Center," as reported by ABC News, the new lettering was added to the building on Dec. 19, 2025. No news organizations reported the addition of gold decorative elements to the building. Searches of Google and Yahoo! News (archived here) found no reports of gold being added to the facade when Trump's name was added.
