Kerry Kennedy Vows to Tear Trump’s Name Off Kennedy Center When He Leaves Office
Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and niece of President John F. Kennedy, publicly declared Friday that she will personally remove Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts the day he leaves office.
“Three years and one month from today, I’m going to grab a pickax and pull those letters off that building,” she posted on both X and Instagram. “But I’m going to need help holding the ladder. Are you in? Apply for my carpenter’s card today, so it’ll be a union job!”
The Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, which sources say was largely appointed by President Trump, voted unanimously to add his name to the institution earlier this year in recognition of his efforts to revitalize the venue. But the move has sparked backlash — especially from members of the Kennedy family and Democrat lawmakers — who argue that the renaming may be illegal.
Congress designated the center in 1964 as a living memorial to President Kennedy. The law explicitly prohibits adding anyone else’s name to the building’s exterior. According to former House historian Ray Smock, “The Kennedy Center board is not a lawmaking entity. Congress makes laws.”
Kerry Kennedy didn’t hold back in her criticism of Trump, blasting the renaming as a betrayal of her uncle’s legacy.
“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 on X. “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.”
Other prominent voices on the left, including Maria Shriver, echoed Kennedy’s outrage and said the board had no legal authority to make the change.
Meanwhile, her brother — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — has remained silent on the controversy.