Jack Schlossberg, grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, is strongly criticizing a Republican-backed proposal to rename the Kennedy Center’s Opera House after former First Lady Melania Trump.
Quoting his grandfather, Schlossberg wrote on Instagram Tuesday, “A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces — but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.”
He added, “JFK believed that the arts were essential to America’s greatness — a powerful tool in advancing civil rights and standing up to authoritarian regimes.” Schlossberg, a frequent critic of former President Donald Trump, warned that honoring Trump’s legacy in such a space would undermine those values.
“The Trump administration stood for the freedom to oppress, not freedom of expression,” he said. “[Trump] uses his power not to uplift, but to silence and intimidate.”
The remarks came after House Republicans on the Appropriations Committee voted to include an amendment in a government spending bill that would rename the iconic venue inside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as the “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.”
Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), who introduced the amendment, praised Melania Trump’s “support and commitment to promoting the arts,” calling the renaming a fitting tribute.
The proposed change follows President Trump’s February decision to overhaul the Kennedy Center’s board — accusing the institution of being too “woke” — and naming himself its chairman.
But Schlossberg dismissed the renaming effort as purely political. “This isn’t about honoring the arts,” he said. “Trump is obsessed with outshining JFK — tearing down the legacy of real heroes to inflate his own image. It doesn’t work.”
The Kennedy Center was established in 1964 as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy and has become one of the country’s most prominent cultural institutions.
