Maria Shriver & Family Have Harsh Words For Donald Trump After Kennedy Center Renaming News

If you thought Donald Trump's downright embarrassing upgrade of his already-tacky presidential walk of fame was embarrassing, well, the divisive leader just topped it with his latest hold-my-beer move. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is slated to be renamed the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts (or "The Trump-Kennedy Center" for short). The board of trustees explained that its decision was based predominantly on the president's efforts, which "saved the institution from financial ruin and physical destruction," per the Washington Post. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Trump is the center's current chairman, that he picked the 14 new board members, and that he's been talking about wanting to put his name on the building for quite some time.

The news was understandably met with massive outrage from members of the Kennedy family, who took it as a personal affront. Maria Shriver, who has made her feelings about the Trumps crystal clear since the first administration began, wrote an impassioned protest on her social media accounts. "It is beyond wild that [Trump] would think adding his name in front of President Kennedy's name is acceptable. It is not," the president's niece penned in part. "Next thing perhaps he will want to rename JFK Airport, rename the Lincoln Memorial, the Trump Lincoln Memorial. The Trump Jefferson Memorial. The Trump Smithsonian. The list goes on."

The Kennedy Center was named after my uncle, President John F Kennedy. It was named in his honor. He was a man who was interested in the arts, interested in culture, interested in education, language, history. He brought the arts into the White House, and he and my Aunt Jackie... pic.twitter.com/wcGjTp2uqa

— Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) December 18, 2025

Maria's brother, Timothy Shriver, was equally incensed by the move. "Perhaps the board isn't aware that the Kennedy Center is 𝗧𝗛𝗘 memorial to the president of the United States, John F. Kennedy," he announced on Instagram. "Would they rename the Lincoln Memorial? The Jefferson? That would be an insult to great presidents."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s complicated family dynamics could get even messier if the cultural institution named after his dearly departed uncle is indeed changed. The proud leader of President Donald Trump's MAHA movement has yet to comment on the news, but plenty of his relatives have. Jack Schlossberg, President John F. Kennedy's grandson, reported on X, formerly known as Twitter, "Microphones were muted and the board meeting and vote NOT unanimous" (Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex officio board member, has claimed that she participated by phone but was blocked from protesting the vote). Katherine Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver's daughter, posted a photo on her Instagram Stories of the famous bust of President Kennedy with the simple caption: "Unreal what is going on."

Apart from the family's opposition, there may be a legal roadblock in the way of the planned renaming too. As Joe Kennedy III, the beloved president's great-nephew, pointed out on X, "The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says." Notably, this is an argument that prominent Democrats are reportedly planning to make in their fight against the change. Kerry Kennedy, RFK Jr.'s sister, was equally adamant about the proposed change. 

"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 blasted on X, adding that his values are vastly different from her uncle's. Whose side will win out is anyone's guess, but if the 2026 Kennedy Center Honors includes the word "Trump," we'll have our answer.