Kerry Kennedy comments on the Kennedy Center’s future

President of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and niece of President John F. Kennedy

He is hurting our country and he’s giving permission to tyrants everywhere to shut down arts centres and silence critical voices.
Open the original interview (opens in a new tab)Trump’s battle to rename the Kennedy Center has put its future at riskPublished September 19, 2026; passages reporting Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s interview at the paragraphs beginning “In an interview on Friday” and Kerry Kennedy’s comments at the paragraph beginning “To Kerry Kennedy.”

Source and context

Interview

Trump’s battle to rename the Kennedy Center has put its future at risk (opens in a new tab)Published September 19, 2026; passages reporting Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s interview at the paragraphs beginning “In an interview on Friday” and Kerry Kennedy’s comments at the paragraph beginning “To Kerry Kennedy.”

About this source

Guardian analysis by David Smith. The article reports direct interviews with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Kerry Kennedy about President Trump’s statements linking the Kennedy Center’s future to recognition for his administration. It also summarizes the court order and related events; the linked position records rely only on the quoted interview responses.

Before the quotation

Guardian reported the remarks after President Trump linked the Kennedy Center’s future to recognition for his administration and after court orders concerning the center’s name and physical changes.

After the quotation

Kennedy said the loss would not principally harm her family but would harm the country and the wider world.

How this statement is classified

Condemned

Case context: Should Donald Trump's link the Kennedy Center's renovation to recognition for his administration?

The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.

Why this label?

Kennedy condemns Trump’s conduct and describes the potential loss of the center as harmful to public culture and free expression.

Recorded on
Published here
People and groups discussed
Donald Trump
Editorial illustration of the Kennedy Center beside an abstract court-order sheet.
Credit: The Dispute Index / AI-assisted illustration.

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Sheldon Whitehouse

Now they’ve moved into a third stage in which they are threatening the actual destruction of the Kennedy Center if they don’t get their renaming.
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Jon Lovett

Why save something if you can’t put your name on it? It’s like how Jane Goodall carved her name into every single one of those chimps. And look, buddy, none of those other buildings with your name on it actually filled the void, huh?
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