US3 min(s) read
Published 12:44 23 Dec 2025 GMT
Fury erupted after Donald Trump officially got his name added to the iconic John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts - and at least one Kennedy has made a bold vow to do something about it.
The world-famous venue in Washington, D.C., has now been renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center, after the board reportedly voted unanimously on December 18 to go through with the change.
The decision came with glowing praise from inside the Trump camp.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took to social media to say the renaming was in honor of “the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building.”
She added: “Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation.
“Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future!
"The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur.”
But not everyone’s celebrating - least of all the Kennedy family themselves.
Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and niece of John F. Kennedy, slammed the move on X after sharing a photo of the building’s new signage, which reads: “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
Kerry, who is also president of the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, didn’t hold back on how she really felt about the controversial decision.
She wrote: “Three years and one month from today, I’m going to grab a pickaxe and pull those letters off that building, but I’m going to need help holding the ladder. Are you in? Applying for my carpenter’s card today, so it’ll be a union job!!”
In a separate post, Kerry went even further - accusing Trump and his administration of actively working against the artistic values the center was created to uphold.
“President Trump and his administration have spent the past year repressing free expression, targeting artists, journalists, and comedians, and erasing the history of Americans whose contributions made our nation better and more just,” she wrote.
She also drew a direct contrast between the values of the two presidents now sharing the building’s name: “President Kennedy proudly stood for justice, peace, equality, dignity, diversity, and compassion for those who suffer.
"President Trump stands in opposition to these values, and his name should not be placed alongside President Kennedy’s.”
Kerry’s brother, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., currently serves as Trump’s health secretary.
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