After the White House announced that the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts — the official, “living memorial” to the late president — voted to rename the iconic cultural institution the Trump-Kennedy Center, several members of the Kennedy family took the opportunity to denounce the move.
Earlier this year, just weeks after he was sworn into office, President Donald Trump removed members of the board of the Kennedy Center and replaced them with allies and administration officials, including Richard Grenell, Pam Bondi, and Susie Wiles. The new board then voted Trump to become chairman of the Kennedy Center.
Now, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, there will be a new name as well. Legal scholars note that because the Kennedy Center was named by federal statute, any formal name change would require an act of Congress.
Maria Shriver, the former First Lady of California, wrote: “The Kennedy Center was named after my uncle, President John F Kennedy.”
She called the renaming “beyond comprehension,” “beyond wild,” “downright weird,” and “obsessive in a weird way,” while explaining that the Kennedy Center was named in honor of a man who was interested in the arts, culture, education, language, and history.
“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,” she said. “Just when you think [someone] can’t stoop any lower, down they go…”
Kerry Kennedy, daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy and the niece of the late president, John F. Kennedy, issued a statement denouncing the development.
“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,” she argued. “President 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.”
Tim Shriver, son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, said the board appeared to misunderstand the significance of the institution.
“Perhaps the board isn’t aware that the Kennedy Center is THE memorial to the president of the United States, John F. Kennedy,” he remarked.
Shriver called the move “an insult to a great president” and “short-sighted,” adding that regardless of the board’s action, the institution “is and will remain the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.”
Joe Kennedy III, the former U.S. Congressman, added, “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.”