Jack Schlossberg, grandson of President John F. Kennedy, is pushing back against House Republicans’ proposal to rename the Kennedy Center’s Opera House in honor of First Lady Melania Trump — arguing that federal law forbids it.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, located in Washington, D.C., was established in 1964 as a “living memorial” to the 35th president. In a strongly worded Instagram post this week, Schlossberg, 32, called out GOP lawmakers for attempting to add a Trump name to a venue intended solely to honor his grandfather’s legacy.
“The plain reading of the statute makes clear — YOU CAN’T DO THAT,” wrote Schlossberg, a Harvard Law graduate. He included a screenshot of the 1983 amendment to Public Law 88-260, which clearly states: “No additional memorials or plaques in the nature of memorials shall be designated or installed in the public areas of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.”
The push to rename the Opera House comes just months after President Donald Trump took control of the Kennedy Center’s board by firing most of its existing members and replacing them with allies. Trump, now chairman of the board, has claimed the center’s programming had become too “woke.”
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On Tuesday, House Republicans on the Appropriations Committee advanced a proposal to rename the Opera House the “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House” as part of a larger spending bill, which has not yet been brought to the House floor for a vote.
The Kennedy Center itself has not publicly responded to the proposal, and PEOPLE has reached out to both the institution and House Speaker Mike Johnson for comment regarding the legality raised by Schlossberg.
The Kennedy Center, whose origins predate Kennedy’s assassination, was officially designated as a memorial to the late president shortly after his death. Construction began in 1964 and the center opened in 1971. Kennedy, a strong advocate for the arts, once called them “our contribution to the human spirit.”
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Schlossberg, who has often spoken out about preserving his grandfather’s legacy, made clear in his post that honoring anyone else — including a first lady — violates both the intent and the letter of the law.
While Melania Trump holds an honorary chair position at the Kennedy Center as the current first lady, she has made only one notable public appearance there since her husband returned to office — attending the opening night of Les Misérables earlier this year. That evening was marked by several cast members boycotting the performance and a mixed reaction of boos and cheers as the Trumps entered the Opera House.
Despite criticism from the arts community about Trump’s sweeping changes to the board, the renaming effort is moving forward within GOP circles — though its legality remains in question.
Schlossberg, for his part, is urging lawmakers and the public not to overlook what he sees as a clear violation of the law and his grandfather’s memory.
