Trump’s Christmas Gift to Himself: Kennedy Center Renamed; Reaction from the Kennedy Family
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, members of the Kennedy family have strongly condemned the renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, to the Trump Kennedy Center.
Tim Shriver, a nephew of John F. Kennedy, wrote on X: “Perhaps the board does not know that the Kennedy Center is a memorial to President John F. Kennedy of the United States. Would they be willing to rename the Lincoln Memorial? What about Jefferson? It would be an insult to great presidents. This action is also an insult to a great president. Despite this short-sighted move, its name will remain the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.”
The Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, chaired by Donald Trump, voted on Thursday this week to change the name. The center had been named in Kennedy’s honor in 1971. Joyce Beatty, a former board member, said she was not given the opportunity to voice her concerns about the decision during Thursday’s meeting.
Maria Shriver, another niece of John F. Kennedy, wrote: “The Kennedy Center was named in honor of my uncle, President John F. Kennedy. It was named to honor him. He was a man who cared deeply about the arts, culture, education, language, and history. He brought the arts to the White House and, together with his wife Jackie, promoted, celebrated, and supported the arts and artists. It is incomprehensible that the current president would want to rename this memorial dedicated to President Kennedy. It is unbelievable that he thinks adding his own name in front of President Kennedy’s name is acceptable. It is not. Perhaps next he will want to rename JFK Airport and the Lincoln Memorial, turning it into the Trump Lincoln Memorial… the list goes on. Do we not see what is happening? Stop, my fellow Americans! Wake up! This is not magnanimous. It is not funny. It is beneath the dignity of the presidency. It is sheer absurdity. Strangely obsessive.”
Joe Kennedy III, Robert Kennedy Jr., and Jack Schlossberg, other relatives of John F. Kennedy, have also condemned Trump’s move in separate statements.
