President Donald Trump sparked major backlash after posting attacks on the Kennedy family just hours after JFK’s granddaughter, Tatiana Schlossberg, died at 35.
Schlossberg, an environmental journalist and daughter of Caroline Kennedy, passed away from acute myeloid leukemia on Dec. 30, leaving behind her husband and two young kids.
Instead of offering condolences, Trump took to Truth Social to share screenshots of MAGA supporters mocking the Kennedys over recent controversy surrounding his decision to add his name to the Kennedy Center in D.C. — a move that’s already drawing criticism over how it was approved and whether it even follows federal law.
The Kennedy family has been in mourning, with relatives like Maria Shriver posting heartfelt tributes about Tatiana’s life, her bravery, and the love she shared with family and friends. But Trump’s posts focused on political jabs — amplifying attacks instead of acknowledging the tragedy.
This follows Trump’s hand‑picked board of trustees voting to rename the “John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” as The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, or the “Trump‑Kennedy Center,” earlier this month.
The White House claimed the rebranding was unanimous and celebrated Trump’s role in “saving” the venue. Critics say the vote wasn’t truly unanimous and may even violate federal law, which created the center as a living memorial to JFK and says only Congress can change its name.
Members of the Kennedy family have since spoken out against the name change, with Joe Kennedy III, a nephew of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and great‑nephew of JFK, calling the renaming illegal, saying you “can no sooner rename the Kennedy Center than rename the Lincoln Memorial.” Maria Shriver, JFK’s niece, slammed the new name as “downright weird” and disrespectful to the original purpose of the memorial.
The name change hasn’t just sparked political criticism, with artists pulling out of planned shows at the Kennedy Center in protest with The Cookers, a veteran jazz group, scrapping New Year’s Eve concerts, Jazz musician Chuck Redd, who for decades hosted holiday concerts there, canceling his annual Christmas Eve show, and actress and producer Issa Rae along with the cast of “Hamilton” cancelling upcoming shows at the venue.
Trump’s social media response has been widely condemned as tone‑deaf and insensitive, especially given the family’s loss and the historic significance of both the Kennedys and the Kennedy Center. Public reaction reflects a mix of sorrow for Tatiana’s death and frustration at how politics overshadowed a moment of grief.
