The Kennedy Centre’s Opera House could be renamed after Melania Trump.

Republican Senator for Idaho Mike Simpson proposed the change during a House appropriations committee markup of the centre’s funding.

Committee members were considering if the change should be made on Tuesday.

Mrs Trump is an honorary chairwoman of the Kennedy Centre’s board, as is tradition for first ladies.

The Opera House is the Washington DC-based institution’s second largest theatre, behind the Concert Hall.

Mr Trump sacked the chairman of the Kennedy Centre board and its 13 trustees soon after coming into office – making himself chairman and Richard Grenell, his Venezuela envoy, the interim leader.

He said his reason for terminating the contracts of members of the board of trustees is that they did not “share our vision for a golden age in arts and culture”.