Robert F. Kennedy’s sister Kerry laid into Donald Trump over the Kennedy Center shutdown, suggesting the president bankrupted the famed venue by adding “his name to it.”
Kennedy, who is a lawyer and a human rights activist, as well as the daughter of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, addressed the board’s decision to close the Kennedy Center during a Tuesday appearance on CNN’s “OutFront.”
While the Kennedy Center board of directors voted to immediately close the main building on Tuesday due to structural safety concerns and financial issues, the sister of Trump’s health and human services secretary argued it was merely “corruption.”
“Well, this is a tragedy. You know, the American people love the Kennedy Center,” Kennedy told host Erin Burnett. “They love the arts. They understand what’s going on. They see the corruption of this. There is not a financial issue here. President Trump has said they have $250 million ready to hand over tomorrow. He’s just withholding it because he wants his name on the building.”
She added: “This is like so many other things that Trump has touched. It’s a bankruptcy because he adds his name to it.”
Watch Kennedy’s comments below. A representative for the White House did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Kerry Kennedy on Kennedy Center: This is like so many other things that Trump has touched. It’s a bankruptcy because he adds his name to it. pic.twitter.com/TEX56uL1xW
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 15, 2026
Kennedy’s comments came hours after the Kennedy Center board voted to immediately close the performing arts venue’s main building, which followed a federal judge’s decision to blocked their latest attempt to add President Trump’s name to the institution named for former President John F. Kennedy.
The board, who were handpicked by Trump, approved the closure as part of a planned two-year, $250 million renovation. The board defended the closure by citing the institution’s worsening financial condition, as well as called out the venue’s structural problems that allegedly threatened staff and public safety.
Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, who sued Trump and others over the Trump-Kennedy Center rebrand, sought emergency relief to prevent the shutdown. And, earlier on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the board could not install an inscription crediting Trump with restoring and renovating the center or rename the surrounding grounds “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.” Additionally, it was reported that the closure could not take effect unless Cooper lifted the existing injunction.
Beatty’s attorneys then told the New York Times that the center’s abrupt closure Tuesday night was “a direct violation of the court’s order and courting contempt.”
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