The vote happened hours after a judge ruled that the president couldn’t put his name back onto the cultural institution.

Kennedy family calls Trump board’s vote to close Kennedy Center a ‘tragedy’ and a ‘sad state of affairs’

The vote happened hours after a judge ruled that the president couldn’t put his name back onto the cultural institution.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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September 16, 2026 3:19 p.m. ET

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Maria Shriver at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in May 2013; Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., in April 2026. Credit:

Kris Connor/Getty; Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty

- Maria Shriver and Kerry Kennedy are speaking out after Trump’s hand-picked board voted to close the Kennedy Center for repairs.

- The decision came hours after a judge ruled that the president cannot put his name on the building, which was removed earlier this year.

- This is the latest chapter in Trump’s takeover of the cultural institution, which has been a focal point since starting his second term as president.

The Kennedy family is speaking out after Donald Trump’s board voted to close the Kennedy Center.

The Kennedy Center’s board, which is made up of Trump appointees, voted on Tuesday, Sept. 15, to close the cultural institution for “safety reasons” hours after a judge blocked the president from adding his name back to the building, which was removed earlier this year.

“Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’ blessing,” U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said in the ruling.

Later that day, Trump posted on Truth Social about the latest vote and noted that the renovations needed for the cultural institution wouldn’t take place until his name is on the building. The renovations “cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board’s approved name,” he posted.

“If the ruling is a negative one, which it should not be, and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place.”

Congress is already putting aside $257 million to cover the repairs, per PBS.

Kerry Kennedy at the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights’ 2024 Ripple of Hope Gala in New York in December 2024; Maria Shriver at the Keep Memory Alive ‘Power of Love’ gala in Las Vegas in February 2025.

Kevin Mazur/Getty; Ethan Miller/Getty

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opened in 1971 and was named after John F. Kennedy. It has hosted several types of performing arts for decades, including ballet, dance, music, and theater.

The Kennedy family has been vocal in their opposition to Trump putting his name on the building and rebranding the institution. Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, called it “a tragedy” while speaking with Erin Burnett on CNN on Tuesday after the vote.

“The American people love the Kennedy Center, they love the arts, they understand what’s going on, they see the corruption of this. There’s not a financial issue here,” she added.

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“President Trump has said they have $250 million ready to hand over tomorrow. He’s just withholding it because he wants his name on the building,” Kennedy continued. “So, this is like so many other things that Trump has touched. It’s a bankruptcy because he adds his name to it.”

She also made a plea to the president to “focus on what’s important.” “Leave the Kennedy center alone,” she said. “Allow us to move forward with this great art center, this monument to a slain president, and leave it alone. Focus on your job.”

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Maria Shriver, whose mother Eunice Kennedy Shriver was siblings with John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, spoke out on social media on Tuesday evening in response to Trump’s post.

“This statement from Trump blows my mind. That a sitting president would not let any renovations to a public building go on unless he gets to first put his name in the said building… What a sad state of affairs. What a tragedy,” Shriver began.

“Actually, how small minded, how narcissistic. Actually great men, devoted to public service and the public good do not act like this,” she said.

The facade of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in August 2026.

Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty

“It seems that this man will not rest until his name is permanently connected to the name of a great president, whose memory this building was dedicated to,” she continued, adding that there are bigger concerns for the president to handle than putting his name on a building.

“Imagine spending your time and your days focused on this, as everyday Americans struggle with healthcare, gas prices, rent, and food. Imagine spending your days focused on this, while a war rages under your leadership,” she added.

* *contacted the Kennedy Center and the White House and did not receive an immediate response.

This is the latest chapter in the saga surrounding Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center since starting his second term as president in January 2025.

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