In a revealing podcast interview, Mary Trump, the former president's niece and a clinical psychologist, set aside her contempt to offer a compassionate yet tragic explanation for Donald Trump's persistent habit of putting his name on everything, including the recent controversial push to rename the Kennedy Center.
The "Obscene" Bid for the Kennedy Center
Speaking on The Daily Beast's podcast with host Joanna Coles, Mary Trump reacted to the idea of changing the name of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the Trump-Kennedy Center. She called the move "obscene" and "illegal," noting that such a change would require Congressional approval. The institution was named in honor of President John F. Kennedy in 1964, months after his assassination in November 1963.
"Also, last I checked, you’re not really supposed to be naming things after living presidents, current or former," she added. Mary Trump argued her uncle's aim is to turn American public spaces into versions of WWE or Ultimate Fighting, a cultural preference she labeled "grotesque." She believes he seeks a legitimacy and stature equal to figures like JFK, but stated, "it’s never going to be enough. Ever."
A Psychological Void From Childhood
The core of her analysis delves into Donald Trump's upbringing. Mary Trump explained that despite being the "preferred child" of his father, Fred Trump, he was valued primarily for his usefulness. She contends that his parents "rendered Donald unlovable."
"The only thing, the thing he most desperately wants in his life, is to be loved. He never has been sufficiently. He never will be," she said. This unfillable void, she argues, drives the compulsion to slap the Trump name on steaks, Bibles, and buildings—even those he doesn't own. "It is all in service to filling a black hole that is unfillable," she stated.
While asserting she has no compassion for the man's actions, she expressed pity for the child he was. "Because his needs will never be met... all of us are suffering," Mary Trump concluded, describing her uncle as a "terrified little boy" unable to face the truth about himself.
A Stark Contrast in Cultural Values
Mary Trump emphasized the profound disconnect between the arts-centered mission of the Kennedy Center and her uncle's values. She recalled a so-called "library" at her grandparents' house that had no books until Donald Trump's 1987 book 'The Art of the Deal' was published.
She contrasted Kennedy's eloquent quotes on the arts, etched on the Center's facade, with Trump's record. "Donald cares nothing for the arts. He and his administration have underfunded or defunded them," she noted, referencing moves to eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
One Kennedy quote on the building reads: "I look forward to an America which commands respect throughout the world not only for its strength but for its civilization as well." For Mary Trump, this underscores the egregious nature of attaching the Trump name to such an institution.
