The Louisiana Republican made the comment as President Donald Trump keeps pushing to rename the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., after himself. Trump has also floated renaming other prominent federal buildings in the capital since returning to the White House last year.
Kennedy told CBS host Margaret Brennan that public officials, Trump included, shouldn't "spend public money on private ads for themselves." He said the White House sees the issue differently, but argued the principle holds regardless of who's in office.
The proposal would apply to any sitting official, not just Trump. Kennedy framed it as a rule about public money and self-promotion, not a personal attack on the president, though it's clearly aimed at Trump's renaming push. If it gained traction, it would settle a question that's flared up every time a politician tries to put their name on a building they helped fund or oversee.
A senator named Kennedy is now the one arguing against renaming the Kennedy Center after someone else entirely.