Kennedy Family Condemns Vote to Rename Kennedy Center as 'Trump-Kennedy Center'

Members of the Kennedy family have responded sharply to the decision by the board of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to rename the institution the "Trump Kennedy Center." The vote, announced by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, was taken unanimously by the Trump-controlled board on Thursday, though one ex officio member has disputed how the meeting was conducted.

Tim Shriver, a nephew of President John F. Kennedy, wrote on X that the Kennedy Center is "the memorial to the president of the United States, John F. Kennedy," and questioned whether similar actions would ever be taken toward monuments honoring Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Jefferson. He said that despite the board’s vote, "it is and will remain The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts."

Maria Shriver, another niece of the late president, also criticized the move, emphasizing Kennedy’s role in elevating the arts during his presidency. In a lengthy statement, she said the center was named in honor of a president who valued culture, education, and artistic expression, adding that placing President Trump’s name alongside Kennedy’s was "not acceptable." She questioned whether other national landmarks could be targeted next, including JFK Airport or the Lincoln Memorial.

Kerry Kennedy echoed those concerns, writing that the Trump administration has spent the past year "repressing free expression" and that President Trump’s values stand in opposition to those of President Kennedy. She said Trump’s name should not be placed alongside her uncle’s. Joe Kennedy III, President Kennedy’s grand-nephew and a former member of Congress, stated that the Kennedy Center is a living memorial named by federal law and "can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial."

Meanwhile, Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), an ex officio member of the board, said she was muted during the meeting and unable to raise objections to the vote.

The Kennedy Center was designated as a memorial to President John F. Kennedy under a congressional statute signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. The legal designation has raised questions about whether the board has the authority to rename the institution. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., another nephew of the late president who currently serves as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Trump administration, has not publicly commented on the decision.