WASHINGTON — Kerry Kennedy, a niece of former President John F. Kennedy, accused President Donald Trump of holding the Kennedy Center “hostage” after he said the $257 million in congressionally approved renovation funding would not move forward unless the center carries his name.
Kennedy, whose father was former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, made the remarks Tuesday after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked the Kennedy Center board from adding a tribute to Trump on the building or its grounds.
About an hour after Cooper issued the ruling, the Trump-aligned board voted to close the center’s main building immediately for renovations. The board previously approved a two-year closure as part of a renovation plan.
Trump later said the renovations would not begin unless the courts allow his name to appear on the building.
“The closing will take place immediately,” Trump said in a social media post, adding that the renovation could not begin until the D.C. Circuit rules on the board’s naming decision.
Trump also said the renovation would not proceed if the appeals court rejects the board’s action and the Supreme Court does not overturn that decision.
Kennedy criticizes Trump over funding
In an interview with CNN, Kennedy called the board’s actions “a tragedy” and said the center belongs to the public.
“President Trump, please focus on what’s important. Leave the Kennedy center alone,” Kennedy said, urging him to allow the institution to move forward with the renovation.
Kennedy also accused Trump of withholding money intended for the center because he wants his name on the building.
“This is hostage taking by the president of the United States,” she said.
Congress appropriated $257 million for the renovation project. The Kennedy Center board has argued that Trump’s financial support also plays a role in the institution’s ability to fund the work. Court filings said the board believed Trump could raise an additional $100 million for the center.
Another Kennedy family member, Maria Shriver, also criticized Trump’s position and called the situation a “tragedy” in a social media post.
Judge blocks Trump tribute
Cooper ruled Tuesday that the board could not add memorials or other tributes to Trump at the Kennedy Center without congressional approval.
“Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing,” Cooper wrote, according to the court ruling.
The judge said the board’s attempt to add Trump’s name violated a previous court order and the federal statute that established the Kennedy Center as a memorial to John F. Kennedy.
The board, whose members include Trump appointees, had previously approved proposals to recognize Trump on the building’s facade and grounds. One proposal would have described the center as “Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.”
The dispute follows an earlier Cooper ruling that ordered Trump’s name removed from the Kennedy Center after finding that the board lacked authority to rename the federally established memorial.
The legal fight over the center’s name, renovation and funding remains ongoing.
