Former journalist Maria Shriver is not happy about Republican efforts to rename the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center.
In a post on X, she slammed the idea. “This is insane. It makes my blood boil,” she wrote. “It’s so ridiculous, so petty, so small minded. Truly, what is this about? It’s always about something. ‘Let’s get rid of the Rose Garden. Let’s rename the Kennedy Center.’ What’s next?”
This is insane. It makes my blood boil. It’s so ridiculous, so petty, so small minded. Truly, what is this about? It’s always about something. ‘Let’s get rid of the Rose Garden. Let’s rename the Kennedy Center.’ What’s next? https://t.co/0qC7YU6ObT
— Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) July 28, 2025
Shriver’s comment was a response to an article discussing a bill that Rep. Bob Onder (R-MO) introduced that would rename the center to the “Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts.”
The bill, titled the Make Entertainment Great Again (MEGA) Act, is aimed at honoring President Donald Trump’s cultural legacy. The lawmaker described Trump as “a patron of the arts and a staple of the pop-culture landscape.”
He added, “I cannot think of a more ubiquitous symbol of American exceptionalism in the arts, entertainment, and popular culture at large than President Trump.”
Yesterday, I proudly introduced H.R. 4715, the MEGA Act to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts.
— Bob Onder (@RepBobOnder) July 24, 2025
I cannot think of a more ubiquitous symbol of American exceptionalism in the arts, entertainment, and popular… pic.twitter.com/Uga2EgnNIB
Onder is not the only lawmaker proposing a measure to honor the president. Earlier this month, House Republicans on the Appropriations Committee passed an amendment to rename the Kennedy Center’s opera house as the “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.” Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), who supports the bill, said it was an “excellent way to recognize [Melania Trump’s] support and commitment to promoting the arts.”
Kennedy family member Maria Shriver incinerates the Republican plan to rename the prestigious Kennedy Center to the "Trump Center for the Performing arts," calling it "petty" and "small-minded."
— Michelleann Smith (@MichelleannSmi8) July 29, 2025
America's real royalty aren't taking this sacrilege lying down... pic.twitter.com/w10frqXZnm
Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy, wrote a post on social media in which he said, “A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces — but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.” He continued, saying, “the Trump administration stands for freedom of oppression, not expression.”