Donald Trump Takes Over the Kennedy Center — Page 23

Kad said: "Generally, people did not think these were things a president would or could do."

The truth of your post is such an amazingly sad reality in terms of how Trump could have been completely avoided.

Our Constitution naively lists only (3) requirements for presidential candidates: candidate must be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old, and have been a resident of the United States for at least 14 years. Had there been any general requirement(s) regarding moral character (i.e., no felony convictions, as is true in many employment situations), the country would not be in this mess.

It also would not hurt to require evidence of a comprehensive knowledge of the US Constitution. In my state, public school students are required to pass a test on the US Constitution as an 8th grade graduation requirement. Those students who do not pass the test cannot move forward into High School.

It's time to pressure our legisators for an amendment to Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution.

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EmceeHammer said: "Amending the Constitution is necessary, but an easier solution would be to just enforce it. I think the naivety is in failing to predict how partisanship and polarization would short circuit the checks and balances built into the system."

I have no argument against this other than to say that in regards to an 'easier' solution, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

IMO, it's pretty evident that enforcing the Constitution is so tediously time consuming - especially when dealing with someone like Trump whose primary focus is to manipulate and confound the process so excessively, that eventually it becomes more practical to re-structure the goal toward seeking a settlement.

John Adams said: "Had there been any general requirement(s) regarding moral character (i.e., no felony convictions, as is true in many employment situations), the country would not be in this mess."

The writers of the Constitution crafted the impeachment process to take care of this. In a sane world, Trump would have been impeached and convicted, and therefore barred from public office, early in his first term. I really don't want an administration to be able to prosecute its political enemies for whatever crimes it cooks up to prevent them from ever taking power.

It also would not hurt to require evidence of a comprehensive knowledgeof the US Constitution. In my state, public school students are required to pass a test on the US Constitution as an 8th grade graduation requirement. Those students who do not pass the test cannot move forward into High School.

As with the previous point, I understand where you're coming from, but this also feels like something that would be ripe for abuse (cf. literacy tests as a qualifications for voting during the Jim Crow era).

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John Adams said: "Yet for the highest role in our governmental system, one need only show proof of citizenship, age and residency."

My response: the people should take each candidate's moral character, and constitutional literacy, into account when choosing a president. If they can't do that - which it appears they can't - then no legal band aids are going to turn a country full of garbage into a functioning democracy.

kdogg36 said: "John Adams said: "Yet for the highest role in our governmental system, one need only show proof of citizenship, age and residency."

My response: the people should take each candidate's moral character, and constitutional literacy, into account when choosing a president. If they can't do that - which it appears they can't - then no legal band aids are going to turn a country full of garbage into a functioning democracy."

If, as you stated, it appears to you they (the people) can't take each candidate's moral character, and constitutional literacy, into account when choosing a president, why or how can your suggestion possibly be something to consider? Why isn't a suggestion that we, the people, urge our representatives to add a Constitutional amendment to prevent another Donald Trump from darkening our lives, be something I should put on a back burner to your suggestion (which, honestly, kdogg, you, yourself don't believe is possible to accomplish).

I've always liked you, kdogg. I'm sincerely asking the questions above and I look forward to your response.

"Yet for the highest role in our governmental system, one need only show proof of citizenship, age and residency. "

Because we expect the American people to decide if they are competent and not some arbitrary requirement. Sometimes the American people do well, other times not so much -lol.

Zeppie2022 said: "Because we expect the American people to decide if they are competent and not some arbitrary requirement. Sometimes the American people do well, other times not so much -lol."

The eligibility requirement wouldn't and couldn't be considered "arbitrary" because it is grounded in both reason and principle.

It should be painfully clear that, "we expect the American people to decide if they are competent" without the assistance of ANY guardrails or guideposts is an unrealistic expectation.

As for, "Sometimes the American people do well, other times not so much -lol" that's not an outcome restricted only to voting. That's why examples of laws, restrictions and eligibility requirements exist everywhere in our daily lives - to compensate for the existence of the "not so much" situations.

Do you really think/expect that the American people can function as a society without those kinds of guideposts and guardrails in place?

Updated On: 12/7/25 at 11:40 PM

F*CK him

MezzA101 said: "Kennedy Center board votes to rename building Trump-Kennedy Center: Leavitt

https://www.axios.com/2025/12/18/kennedy-center-trump-name"

I want to throw up

Again, I don’t see how the Kennedy Center as a cultural institution survives after this administration. The damage to its reputation is too far gone.

Updated On: 12/18/25 at 03:28 PM

Trump and His Loyalists Move to Name the Kennedy Center for Him

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/us/politics/trump-kennedy-center-name.html?unlocked_article_code=1.9k8.U4nJ.IJpDIzVU_A4f&smid=nytcore-android-share

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, asserted that the board’s vote was unanimous, but Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, a Democrat who is one of the lawmakers granted a spot on the board, said on social media that she “was muted on the call and not allowed to speak or voice my opposition.”

It was not immediately clear what effect the vote would have, but it would not officially change the name of the center, which is by law designated the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.