Kennedy Family Members Blast Decision To Add Trump’s Name To Arts Institution & Memorial To JFK: “Insult,” “Beyond Comprehension,” “Weird”
Members of the Kennedy family reacted with anger over the decision by the board of the Kennedy Center to rename the arts institution as the “Trump Kennedy Center.”
The Trump-controlled board of the center, which opened in 1971 as a memorial to the late president, voted unanimously on Thursday to rename the complex.
Tim Shriver, nephew of John F. Kennedy, wrote on X, “Perhaps the board isn’t aware that the Kennedy Center is 𝗧𝗛𝗘 memorial to the president of the United States, John F. Kennedy. Would they rename the Lincoln memorial? The Jefferson? That would be an insult to great presidents. This too is an insult to a great president. Notwithstanding their short-sighted action, it is and will remain the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.”
Maria Shriver, JFK’s niece, wrote, “The Kennedy Center was named after my uncle, President John F Kennedy. It was named in his honor. He was a man who was interested in the arts, interested in culture, interested in education, language, history. He brought the arts into the White House, and he and my Aunt Jackie amplified the arts, celebrated the arts, stood up for the arts and artists.
She added, “It is beyond comprehension that this sitting president has sought to rename this great memorial dedicated to President Kennedy. It is beyond wild that he would think adding his name in front of President Kennedy’s name is acceptable. It is not. Next thing perhaps he will want to rename JFK Airport, rename the Lincoln Memorial, the Trump Lincoln Memorial. The Trump Jefferson Memorial. The Trump Smithsonian. The list goes on. Can we not see what is happening here? C’mon, my fellow Americans! Wake up! This is not dignified. This is not funny. This is way beneath the stature of the job. It’s downright weird. It’s obsessive in a weird way. Just when you think somone can’t stoop any lower, down they go…”
Kerry Kennedy, another niece, wrote, “President Trump and his administration have spent the past year repressing free expression, targeting artists, journalists, and comedians, and erasing the history of Americans whose contributions made our nation better and more just. resident Kennedy proudly stood for justice, peace, equality, dignity, diversity, and compassion for those who suffer. President Trump stands in opposition to these values, and his name should not be placed alongside President Kennedy’s.”
Joe Kennedy III, the late president’s grand-nephew and a former member of Congress, wrote, “The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.”
Jack Schlossberg, John F. Kennedy’s grandson, who is running for congress in New York, wrote, “SEND ME TO CONGRESS TO SMOKE THESE FOOLS — MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR — I won’t back down or be drowned out.”
Robert Kennedy Jr., nephew of the late president, is serving as Trump’s secretary of health and human services. A spokesperson at the cabinet department did not immediately return a request for comment from him on what he thinks of the name change.
A congressional statute, signed by Lyndon Johnson in 1964, designated the national cultural center, then in its planning stages, to be named the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. That has raised questions as to whether the board even has the authority to rename the complex, just as Trump could not, by executive order, rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War.
