A controversial decision by the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees has sent shockwaves through Washington's cultural and political circles. On Thursday, December 18, 2025, the board voted to rename the iconic performing arts centre the Trump-Kennedy Center, a move that has provoked immediate and fierce backlash from the family of its namesake, President John F. Kennedy.
White House Announces Controversial Name Change
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made the announcement on social media, stating that the board had voted unanimously for the change. She credited the decision to "the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building." The original Kennedy Center was established by Congress in 1964 as a living memorial to the assassinated president, who was a noted patron of the arts.
Since the beginning of his second term, former President Donald Trump has sought to reshape the institution, appointing loyalists to its board and assuming the role of board chair himself. The renaming is seen as the culmination of these efforts.
Kennedy Family Reacts with Fury and Disbelief
The reaction from President Kennedy's relatives was swift and visceral. His niece, former television journalist Maria Shriver, expressed her outrage on X (formerly Twitter). "Some things leave you speechless, and enraged, and in a state of disbelief," she wrote, adding it was a display of "TDS in full display."
In a follow-up post, Shriver issued a rallying cry to the public. "It is beyond wild that he would think adding his name in front of President Kennedy’s name is acceptable. It is not," she argued. She warned that this could set a dangerous precedent, suggesting the Lincoln Memorial or JFK Airport could be next. "C’mon, my fellow Americans! Wake up!... This is downright weird. It’s obsessive in a weird way," she concluded.
Legal Challenges and Political Motives Questioned
Other family members challenged the legality and propriety of the move. Kennedy's grandson, Joe Kennedy III, a former Democratic congressman from Massachusetts, asserted that the centre's name is protected by federal law. "The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law," he stated. "It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial."
His cousin, Timothy Shriver, a disability rights activist, echoed the sentiment, calling the renaming "an insult to a great president." Meanwhile, Kennedy's grandson and congressional candidate Jack Schlossberg offered a more political theory. He claimed the move was explicitly motivated by Trump's opposition to his "JACK FOR NEW YORK" campaign, which he said represents everything Trump "can’t stand or defeat."
Notably, one prominent family member remained silent. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who serves in Trump's administration, had not commented as of late Thursday. However, his sister, human rights activist Kerry Kennedy, did not hold back. In a two-part tweet, she contrasted the values of the two presidents, stating President Trump "stands in opposition" to justice, peace, and compassion, and therefore his name should not be alongside President Kennedy's.
The renaming of one of Washington's most revered cultural institutions has ignited a fierce debate about legacy, political influence, and the preservation of presidential memory, with the Kennedy family leading a charged opposition to the change.
