Maria Shriver is speaking out against the Kennedy Center’s new name once again.
Hours after workers added Donald Trump’s name to the Washington D.C. building, the niece of John F. Kennedy had some questions for the current president of the United States.
“Adding your name to a memorial already named in honor of a great man doesn’t make you a great man. Quite the contrary,” Shriver, 70, wrote via Instagram
on Friday, December 19. “Putting your name on top of someone else’s doesn’t mean that people will speak of you in the same breath as the other man. Putting your name above another man’s name on his existing memorial… What is that about? Truly? What’s that about?”The journalist and women’s health activist continued to list some questions she has for Trump after he pushed for his name to be part of the Kennedy Center.
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“Do you want people to speak the names as one? Dig down deep. What are you trying to say? I’m really interested,” Shriver continued. “There is no other president who would do this. None. Zero. In fact, it’s not even legal. Congress named the performing arts center as a living memorial in 1964, and only Congress can change that law.”
The White House confirmed on Thursday, December 18, that the board of the Kennedy Center voted to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump – Kennedy Center.
“I have just been informed that the highly respected Board of the Kennedy Center, some of the most successful people from all parts of the world, have just voted unanimously to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center, because of the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote via X on Thursday. “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.”
According to NBC News, Trump also told reporters on Thursday at the White House that he was “surprised” and “honored” by the board’s vote.
In her latest social media post, Shriver said the building will “always be the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.”
“A great man would have said to his hand-picked board, ‘Thank you, but the building already has its name. Let it stand. Let it be. I don’t need that,’” she said. “But then again…”
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Maria isn’t the only family member to have spoken out against the Kennedy Center being renamed.
Since the board cast its vote on Thursday, JFK’s only godson, Jack Schlossberg, as well as JFK’s nephews Joe Kennedy III and Tim Shriver have expressed their disappointment at the decision.
In a separate post on X, JFK’s niece Kerry Kennedy wrote, “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. 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.”