Donald Trump’s obsession with reshaping the Kennedy Center has pushed one family to the brink.
This time, another member of the Kennedy family is calling out the president for threatening a landmark dedicated to her slain family member. Trump’s determination to attach his name to the memorial has angered relatives who believe the building belongs to the public.
Now, a judge stands between Trump and getting his way — and could expose far more than he ever intended.
The battle over the historic performing arts center has grown increasingly ugly.
Courtroom defeats, disappearing artwork, and threats of demolition have turned the national memorial into a political battleground.
‘Enough’: Maria Shriver Stops Being Polite, Eviscerates Trump Over Kennedy Center Renaming Ultimatum
Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and niece of President John F. Kennedy, challenged Trump during an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show.
She questioned why the president was focused on the building while Americans struggled with everyday expenses.
“You know, I don’t really understand President Trump’s obsession with it,” Kennedy told Craig Melvin. “I think that we’re in the midst of people can’t buy their groceries … they can hardly pay to get in their cars and go to work. People are struggling. They can’t pay for their health care.”
“He is instead focusing on that and focusing on anything more; he is instead looking at the Kennedy Center and wanting to demolish. It makes no sense to me,” she continued.
Kennedy said the “living memorial” to a slain president had a mission to make the arts accessible rather than promote a politician’s personal brand.
“It’s the center of the arts for all Americans, and I think people feel like it should be preserved,” she argued.
People magazine readers echoed her frustration.
One reader asked, “It’s the Kennedy Center for gods sake. Trump has done nothing to name it for himself. Leave it alone. It’s a memorial in a way. Go tear down Mara logo.”
Others took aim at Trump’s intelligence and his brutal way of forcing people to do what he wants. “Not the brightest crayon in the box for sure. It’s his way or the highway…such a child,” said a third person.
A third person praised, “She was trying to make a point that there are more important matters in the country to take care of; we have a man in the White House who only cares about himself, and if things don’t go his way, then he takes it out on others like a bully. He is not for the people, by the people, he’s there to screw the people.”
The dispute intensified after Trump replaced the center’s leadership with allies and became chairman. His board voted to add his name to the venue, setting off legal challenges and fierce opposition from the Kennedy family.
Congress commissioned the center as a memorial to John F. Kennedy in 1964. In May 2026, federal Judge Christopher Cooper ruled against the renaming. Trump’s lettering was subsequently covered.
But Cooper’s involvement did not end there. In a subsequent ruling, the judge criticized Justice Department attorneys for withholding internal records and resisting witness testimony in the lawsuit brought by Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty.
“Defendants’ persistence in trying to obscure relevant — and indeed, core — discovery is untenable,” Cooper wrote. He ordered the administration to provide evidence concerning the center’s operations and proposed renovation timeline, dealing another setback to Trump’s legal strategy.
The administration also announced a two-year closure for renovations, citing structural concerns. Trump later said the work would not proceed unless the courts allowed the name change. He suggested the deteriorating building could otherwise be torn down.
Seemingly fanning the idea, he posted a photo of an interior concrete ceiling showing the extent of the deterioration, captioned, “The Kennedy Center is Falling Apart.”
Meanwhile, reports of removed artwork fueled suspicions about the overhaul. Steinway grand pianos were taken to a showroom for potential sale. Snopes said that the instruments were never put up for sale.
A large sculpture was dismantled, and pieces from the African Lounge were removed. The tarps still remain to conceal Trump’s name removal. As of Oct. 8, orange range barriers were seen outside the Kennedy Center main entrance.
“Look at the Kennedy Center with that tarp. What a baby,” said one social media user.
Another delivered a final rebuke against 47: “Ya’ll I used to like Trump many many years ago and now I think he has gone Bonkers!! His money and his ego have been inflated so much that he thinks he is the King. I give up on him.”
The Kennedys have not been quiet.
In September, Maria Shriver, whose mother was JFK’s sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver, denounced Trump’s renovation ultimatum as small-minded and narcissistic.
“What a sad state of affairs. What a tragedy. Actually, how small minded, how narcissistic,” she wrote. “Actually great men, devoted to public service and the public good do not act like this.”
Shriver also questioned Trump’s priorities while Americans struggled with health care, rent and food costs.
Jack Schlossberg, JFK’s grandson, delivered his own warning in February.
“Trump can take the Kennedy Center for himself. He can change the name, shut the doors, and demolish the building,” he wrote on X. “He can try to kill JFK.”
Joe Kennedy III previously argued that the memorial could no more be renamed than the Lincoln Memorial. He also stressed that America’s greatness rests on its people and leaders, not buildings.
Kerry Kennedy celebrated the May court decision, joking, “Perhaps I won’t need that pickaxe after all.”
The family divide is especially pointed because Kerry’s brother, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., serves in Trump’s administration.
And still, the tarps remain draped over parts of the Kennedy Center, keeping the public from seeing the full extent of the work as Trump’s fight over the institution continues.
