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JohnnyRingo

(20,444 posts)
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 06:30 PM 9 hrs ago

Cal Thomas has finally found an issue with Trump.

Cal Thomas is an uber-conservative editorialist and co-host of "The Five" on Fox News. He doesn't have a democratic bone in his brittle old body. I read his column each week in my print newspaper and usually only get halfway through before I shake my head and move on.

Until today. I had to finish the piece searching for one good word about Trump, but there was barely a one.
It seems he is a man of the theatre and fine tradition, and that cracked his MAGA armor. I imagine the newspaper delivered to the Oval Office has a big redaction.

The Trump-Kennedy Center

By Cal Thomas

Tribune Content Agency

Last Friday evening I attended the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with my wife and two friends to listen to a wonderful performance of Handel’s “Messiah.”

The Kennedy Center has been among the few places in Washington (sports arenas are another) where one can get through a day or evening without the confrontational and corrosive political language that has infected the city. Not anymore.

President Trump, with the approval of a board he appointed, has added his name to the building. Henceforth, or until a future president and board will remove it (one can only hope), the place will be labeled, if not called by everyone, the Trump Kennedy Center.

I recall the first performance in what has become Washington’s main cultural attraction. It was on Sept. 8, 1971 and the world premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass,” a work commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy. The Kennedys did more to bring high-brow culture to Washington than any other president and first lady. President Trump has brought nothing, not even close, that can match their contributions.

During the day on Friday, workers were already drilling the additional name into the outside of the building. The Kennedy Center website has been re-labeled “Trump Kennedy Center.”

There is talk around town that Trump has only begun to add his name to other buildings. One prospect he is reportedly eyeing is the soon-to-be finished Washington Commanders (formerly “Redskins”) football stadium. I got to thinking about other places where Trump might affix his name.

He keeps it going strong here:
https://calthomas.com/2025/12/trump-adds-names/
30 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Cal Thomas has finally found an issue with Trump. (Original Post) JohnnyRingo 9 hrs ago OP
Even Cal Thomas is seeing the light! Diamond_Dog 8 hrs ago #1
and thank gawd for this......he's exactly right tho.....the Kennedy Center is about the arts, culture, and grace. a kennedy 8 hrs ago #4
Astounding development! Paladin 8 hrs ago #5
Only because Trump has gored his personal favorite ox. Otherwise I'm sure he is still a good with Donny. flashman13 6 hrs ago #16
I am waiting for him to change the name of a certain museum to the Trump Holocaust Museum. marble falls 8 hrs ago #2
It's about time samplegirl 8 hrs ago #3
Cal's still living? czarjak 7 hrs ago #6
Seriously; how old is that fossil? Chasstev365 7 hrs ago #7
Stone-Aged? czarjak 3 hrs ago #27
Surprise here also. He was old 40 years ago yonder 6 hrs ago #17
He ditched the 'stache sometime before then Polybius 5 hrs ago #22
He used to be in our local paper's editorial page. czarjak 3 hrs ago #26
Ours too. Don't remember him past '85-90 thereabouts. yonder 3 hrs ago #28
So Cal has a problem with naming stuff, but destroying people is ok? Raven123 7 hrs ago #8
In my house we take our blessing at face value. JohnnyRingo 6 hrs ago #18
Heh, a name I haven't heard in a long time. electric_blue68 7 hrs ago #9
I remember Cal Thomas and his sneering public comments during the late 1980s and 1990s Bluejeans 6 hrs ago #10
"Conservative" has been the polite term for Right Wing for over a century JHB 6 hrs ago #11
Do you remember when Bush / Cheney ran as "Compassionate Conservatives"? JohnnyRingo 6 hrs ago #20
Lavatory page would still be "on the team". They'd be hounded out as "woke RINOs" JHB 4 hrs ago #23
Is that a voice from the grave?? lastlib 6 hrs ago #12
Not so fast Cirsium 6 hrs ago #13
Precisely my beef with "NeverTrumpers", though my position gets scolded. JHB 4 hrs ago #24
hear, hear Cirsium 2 hrs ago #29
A hardcore Maga facebook friend of mine, hasn't said anything about Trump in months. During that time he's Fil1957 6 hrs ago #14
All the utterly despicable things that TSF has done... WestMichRad 6 hrs ago #15
Is he still on TV? progressoid 6 hrs ago #19
"Some Democrats are saying Congress should approve any name change" - NO spooky3 6 hrs ago #21
i think it meant democrats said Congress must approve..... JohnnyRingo 4 hrs ago #25
Yikes. LudwigPastorius 2 hrs ago #30

a kennedy

(35,208 posts)
4. and thank gawd for this......he's exactly right tho.....the Kennedy Center is about the arts, culture, and grace.
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 06:49 PM
8 hrs ago

Fawking tRump??? HAS NONE OF THIS, HE’S A BIG FAT FAWKING PIECE OF SHIT, AND HIS GAWD NAME ONLY BELONGS ON THE LOWEST OF THE LOW ITEMS, ya know, like, garbage bags that were full of doggie shit, and puke, or toilets that are backed up, or diapers filled with the unimaginable stuff. No his gawd name does NOT BELONG ON THE KENNEDY CENTER building. 🤬 🤮 🤬 🤮 🤬 How soon before I get arrested???

Paladin

(32,229 posts)
5. Astounding development!
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 07:15 PM
8 hrs ago

Trump's awful behavior, alienating the likes of Cal Thomas. Extraordinary. This will reverberate, particularly amongst seniors who are familiar with Thomas' rabid-right stances over the years. Encouraging!

flashman13

(1,975 posts)
16. Only because Trump has gored his personal favorite ox. Otherwise I'm sure he is still a good with Donny.
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 08:55 PM
6 hrs ago

yonder

(10,234 posts)
17. Surprise here also. He was old 40 years ago
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 09:00 PM
6 hrs ago

Edit: Wikipedia says he's 83. This photo is from 2012 and looks like someone like him should look like. I seem to remember he was sporting a porn star mustache back then.

Raven123

(7,480 posts)
8. So Cal has a problem with naming stuff, but destroying people is ok?
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 08:20 PM
7 hrs ago

His column is printed in my local paper as well. I find it odd that he was griping about the DOJ (while Biden was president) pursuing him for his criminal activities, but naming stuff is the thing that trips his trigger.

JohnnyRingo

(20,444 posts)
18. In my house we take our blessing at face value.
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 09:02 PM
6 hrs ago

Turning on Trump for his narcissism is not a cause for dispute.
Let us hope the dominos continue to tumble.

Bluejeans

(142 posts)
10. I remember Cal Thomas and his sneering public comments during the late 1980s and 1990s
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 08:31 PM
6 hrs ago

Cal Thomas with his sneering public comments during the late 1980s and 1990s contributed a great deal to the "confrontational and corrosive political language" in today's public sphere.

As my dear departed mother would say, "He must be dying; he's clearing his conscience now!"

JHB

(37,910 posts)
11. "Conservative" has been the polite term for Right Wing for over a century
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 08:32 PM
6 hrs ago

Not every conservative is Right Wing, but Right Wingers love to call themselves "conservative." It's a soft-focus that hides the how extreme they are.

There's not really any point to the phrase "uber-conservative." Anybody it might apply to can be better characterized as Right Wing, Hard Right, Flaming, Foaming Right Wingnut, and Cal Thomas definitely qualifies for that.

JohnnyRingo

(20,444 posts)
20. Do you remember when Bush / Cheney ran as "Compassionate Conservatives"?
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 09:06 PM
6 hrs ago

They somehow back then did not want to seen as part of the Goldwater wing of the party. That kind of talk now will get them demoted to lavatory page.

lastlib

(27,457 posts)
12. Is that a voice from the grave??
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 08:36 PM
6 hrs ago

Surely that old fossil is long dead--if only his brain...... JHC, I thought his 15 minutes was up after we kicked W out. He must be 150 years old now. His ideas certainly are.

Cirsium

(3,324 posts)
13. Not so fast
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 08:39 PM
6 hrs ago

Cal Thomas and his cohorts enabled this nightmare. They worked for years to get us here. They don't get to just step away.

JHB

(37,910 posts)
24. Precisely my beef with "NeverTrumpers", though my position gets scolded.
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 11:09 PM
4 hrs ago

Apparently, they're our "allies" now. They utterly failed at what was supposed to the reason for making nice with them, namely to getting like-minded Republicans to vote for Democrats to beat Trump, and they're crowding actual liberals out of media spaces, but hey, allies, so you can't do anything rude like bring up the fact that they spent their careers creating a voter base of easily-manipulated Ahabs who were ripe for a guy who promised them White Whale steak dinners for life (and the hagfish will pay for it).

Fil1957

(509 posts)
14. A hardcore Maga facebook friend of mine, hasn't said anything about Trump in months. During that time he's
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 08:45 PM
6 hrs ago

heavily trashed Democrats, lefties, etc. using the same old tired Fox talking points. But he hasn't said a word about Trump -- good or bad during that time. I'm guessing Trump is beginning to lose his support.

WestMichRad

(2,891 posts)
15. All the utterly despicable things that TSF has done...
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 08:48 PM
6 hrs ago

… (too disgusting to reiterate here)… but it was putting his name on a cultural treasure that is the breaking point for Cal Thomas?
Sheesh… words fail me. (Shakes head in amazement.)
Crawl back under your rock, you shriveled fossil.

spooky3

(38,230 posts)
21. "Some Democrats are saying Congress should approve any name change" - NO
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 09:18 PM
6 hrs ago

The *LAW* says any name change MUST be approved by Congress.

JohnnyRingo

(20,444 posts)
25. i think it meant democrats said Congress must approve.....
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 11:27 PM
4 hrs ago

....any name change made by the current president but DT continues regardless..

"Some Democrats are saying Congress should approve any name change. They are right, but Trump presses on ..."

No one has heard any republicans complaining.

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