Kennedy’s grandson fights back against Melania’s theater plans to protect family legacy
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
John F. Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, has strongly criticized the proposal to rename the Kennedy Center Opera House after First Lady Melania Trump. He stated that the initiative contradicts the values of free speech and demeans his grandfather’s legacy, according to The Hill.
Jack Schlossberg, grandson of the 35th US president, sharply condemned the idea of renaming the Kennedy Center’s opera theater in honor of Melania Trump.
In an emotional statement, he called it an insult to the values his grandfather stood for.
“A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces — but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers,” Schlossberg recalled, quoting his grandfather Kennedy.
Additionally, the 32-year-old Schlossberg, a vocal critic of Donald Trump, said that the Trump administration stands not for freedom of speech, but for the freedom to oppress, accusing the US president of using his power to suppress dissent.
What happened
Republicans in the US House of Representatives have introduced an amendment to the annual budget proposing to rename the legendary opera house at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.
This decision was supported by Congressman Mike Simpson (Republican, Idaho), who called it a wonderful way to honor Melania Trump's dedication to promoting the arts.
Political context
The Kennedy Center - one of the most famous cultural institutions in the US - came under criticism from Trump back in February 2025, when he made a headline-grabbing overhaul of its board, appointing himself as chairman.
Schlossberg responded to the renaming initiative by saying that it had nothing to do with art and described it as an act of vanity and political revenge.
"Trump is obsessed with being bigger than JFK"
In his statement, Schlossberg wrote that Trump is obsessed with rewriting history and diminishing past heroes to elevate himself.
“Trump is obsessed with being bigger than JFK, with minimizing the many heroes of our past, as if that elevates him. It doesn’t.”
Schlossberg also pointed out that art is not a political trophy, adding that the true power of culture lies in its timelessness: “Art lasts forever, and no one can change what JFK and our shared history stands for.”
The budget amendment still needs to pass votes in both the full House and Senate. Meanwhile, Schlossberg’s statement is gaining traction in the media and on social networks, becoming yet another front in the cultural war waged by the Trump administration.
The conflict over the Kennedy Center Opera House has far surpassed culture - it’s another clash between historical legacy and political ambition.
