Kerry Kennedy vows to remove Trump’s name from Kennedy Center in three years
The Kennedy family member criticizes the decision to include Donald Trump in the center’s naming and pledges action once he leaves office.
Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and sister of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., criticized the Kennedy Center’s decision to include Donald Trump’s name in the institution’s designation and vowed to take action when Trump leaves office. She posted on social media that she would 'pull those letters off that building' with a pickax in three years and one month, joking that she would need help holding the ladder and would pursue a union carpentry card.
Her message followed Thursday's announcement of the name change, which lit a new flare in a long-running discussion over how political figures are commemorated in U.S. cultural institutions. In a two-part thread, Kennedy argued that the Trump administration has repressed free expression and erased parts of American history, saying that Trump stands in opposition to the values associated with the Kennedy legacy. 'President Trump stands in opposition to these values, and his name should not be placed alongside President Kennedy's.'
As of Friday afternoon, RFK Jr. has yet to comment publicly on the naming decision. The note attached to HuffPost’s report indicates Kennedy’s comments were part of a broader social-media push that highlighted tensions between political leadership and cultural institutions, a focal point of ongoing debates about memory, accountability, and the role of art in public life.
The Kennedy Center, long seen as a cornerstone of American arts and culture, announced the plan to include Donald Trump’s name in its official designation, a move that proponents described as recognizing a broad swath of support, while critics argued it convoluted the center’s mission and history. Kennedy’s social-media outcry reflects how personal and familial ties to public memory can intensify such disputes, signaling that discussions about renaming and rebranding cultural landmarks remain deeply polarizing in the current political climate.