Jack Schlossberg Says Donald Trump Might ‘Demolish’ the Kennedy Center, but His Grandpa JFK Can Be ‘Kept Alive’ Another Way

Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy, renewed his criticism of President Donald Trump after the president announced the Kennedy Center will temporarily close for what he described as a “complete rebuilding.”

“Trump can take the Kennedy Center for himself,” Schlossberg, 33, wrote in a Sunday, Feb. 1 post on X. “He can change the name, shut the doors, and demolish the building. He can try to kill JFK.”

“But JFK is kept alive by us now rising up to remove Donald Trump, bring him to justice, and restore the freedoms generations fought for,” Schlossberg added.

Schlossberg’s comments came roughly three hours after Trump, 79, said on Truth Social that the Kennedy Center will close on July 4, 2026, for approximately two years.

Trump said a group of experts — including “contractors, musical experts, art institutions, and other advisors and consultants” — conducted a one-year review of the Washington, D.C.-based performing arts center. The venue was originally established as a memorial for JFK and has recently been rebranded as “The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

“I have determined that The Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding, can be, without question, the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World,” Trump wrote.

He added that funding has already been secured, and said the closure would align with the “250th Anniversary of our Country, whereupon we will simultaneously begin Construction of the new and spectacular Entertainment Complex.”

“This important decision, based on input from many Highly Respected Experts, will take a tired, broken, and dilapidated Center, one that has been in bad condition, both financially and structurally for many years, and turn it into a World Class Bastion of Arts, Music, and Entertainment, far better than it has ever been before,” Trump wrote.

“America will be very proud of its new and beautiful Landmark for many generations to come.”

The Kennedy Center was dedicated by Congress as a living memorial to JFK one year after his 1963 assassination.

After retaking office in January 2025, Trump seized control of the Kennedy Center by appointing MAGA loyalists to the venue’s board and subsequently being installed as chairman. Throughout 2025, Trump began informally referring to the venue as the “Trump-Kennedy Center” in speeches and on social media.

In December 2025, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump-appointed board had bypassed Congress and voted to rename the arts center after Trump, claiming the vote was unanimous. Trump’s name was added to exterior signage on Dec. 19, and the center’s website was updated with new logos.

After that vote, Schlossberg — who is currently running for a U.S. House seat in Manhattan — disputed the process in a post on X, writing: “Microphones were muted and the board meeting and vote NOT unanimous.”

His claim aligned with comments from Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board. Beatty alleged in a video message on X that she and other opponents of the change were muted on the conference call during the vote and were not allowed to voice their concerns.

“For the record. This was not unanimous. I was muted on the call and not allowed to speak or voice my opposition to this move,” Beatty, 75, said. “Also for the record, this was not on the agenda. This was not consensus. This is censorship.”

She continued, “Clearly the Congress has a say in this. This center, the Kennedy Center, was created by the Congress. I think it’s important for us to know that this is just another attempt to evade the law and not let the people have a say.”

In recent weeks, the Kennedy Center has struggled to line up events since Trump took over the institution, with more than a dozen artists and performers pulling out of scheduled appearances in protest.