Cory Booker
Role at the time: U.S. Senator (D-NJ), in an interview on CNN's The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Statement summary
Asked by host Kaitlan Collins on CNN's The Source on September 17, 2026 whether President Trump is "laying the groundwork to knock down the Kennedy Center," Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said Trump is trying to "hold it hostage until he gets his name on it" and called that "absolutely ridiculous." Booker described the building as an arts institution named after a slain president and paid for by taxpayers.
“Him taking an institution of the arts, named after a slain president, paid for by taxpayers, he's trying to hold it hostage until he gets his name on it. This is absolutely ridiculous.”
CNN's published transcript of the show (aired 9-10 PM ET on Sept. 17), labelled a rush transcript that may not be in final form. The quotation uses its punctuation; the wording was checked against the audio (Collins's own clip and CNN's podcast audio) and matches, with only punctuation differing (transcript: 'slain president, paid for by taxpayers, he's trying'; audio and Collins's X post: 'paid for by taxpayers. He's trying').
Why we used this label
Asked about Trump's remarks and the 'Kennedy Center Demolished' photograph, Booker says Trump is "trying to hold it hostage until he gets his name on it" and calls that "absolutely ridiculous," an express rejection of tying the institution's fate to Trump's name. The closest competing label is “Challenged the characterization”, because "hold it hostage" is Booker's own description of the position. That loses because he pairs the description with a direct evaluation instead of only disputing how the position should be labeled.