'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQH/8QAIhAAAQIGAQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDAAQFETFBBhITFCKR/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgT/xAAdEQACAgEFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMRAAQFITGR/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDNqDRH56XnvKfY7jyEoYUlkehJBuRrNt7ig8bmCbrqz3Uc2ZRn5CEPRqHkcMOqyzcVEUUTJwTd+5//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On September 15, 2026, Robert F. Kennedy's daughter, Kerry Kennedy, called out the Kennedy Center closure vote as a "tragedy."
Mary Kerry Kennedy was born on September 8, 1959, in Washington, D.C., to former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel. She is one of their eleven children, a niece of President John F. Kennedy, and a sister of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
She attended The Putney School in Vermont and received a bachelor's degree from Brown University. She later earned a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School.
She is a lawyer, author, and human rights activist and serves as president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. She began working in human rights in 1981 as an intern with Amnesty International and later established RFK Partners for Human Rights. She has written books including Speak Truth to Power and Being Catholic Now. She is also a member of the Massachusetts and District of Columbia bars.
The Kennedy Center board of trustees voted that Tuesday to close the John F. Kennedy Center (Performing Arts), citing safety concerns and financial strain. The vote came hours after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked the board from adding President Donald Trump's name to the building.
Officials pointed to a September 4 storm in which a section of ceiling plaster fell in the Grand Foyer. Congress had appropriated about $257 million for restoration work. Trump chairs the board and has said the building needs major repair and that renovation support is tied to recognition of his administration's role.
Kerry Kennedy made her remarks the same day on CNN's Erin Burnett OutFront.
She said:
"Well, this is a tragedy. You know, the American people love the Kennedy Center. 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 also said:
"This is like so many other things that Trump has touched. It’s a bankruptcy because he adds his name to it."
Kerry Kennedy added:
"This is hostage taking by the president of the United States."
She further stated:
"President Trump, please focus on what's important. Leave the Kennedy Center alone."
Kennedy Center vote and the naming dispute
Congress established the Kennedy Center as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. The center opened in 1971 and presents opera, ballet, theater, concerts, and education programs.
As reported by The Washington Post, after Trump became chairman and appointed most trustees, the board voted in December 2025 to attach his name to the institution. A federal judge later required that name to be removed. According to CNN, in March 2026, the board approved a two-year closure after July 4 celebrations and named Matt Floca CEO and executive director.
On September 15, 2026, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper again ruled that Trump's name could not be placed on the building without congressional approval. The Well News quoted his written order:
"Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing."
The board then voted the same day to close the main building immediately. The Hill reported that trustees cited fiscal strain and a water leak that damaged the Grand Foyer ceiling. The Washington Post reported that administrators warned an immediate closure was needed to avoid endangering people and that a roughly 4-by-5-foot section of plaster had fallen about 60 feet during a September 4 storm.
Kennedy Center officials said a temporary shutdown was needed because of structural deterioration, including the roof-terrace canopy and the recent ceiling collapse.
On September 17, 2026, The Well News reported that an employee email later filed in court said the short-term closure was a management decision separate from the board's longer renovation vote.
The Justice Department told the court the closure would last one week unless extended for safety work, The Well News reported. Cooper later ordered at least 30 days' notice before any demolition or other major change to the main building and directed a report on the temporary closure.
The Well News also reported that Hands Off the Arts planned a rally and human chain around the complex. A September Threads post by Catrina Newill said Kerry Kennedy was organizing a hand-holding demonstration at the site. Roma Daravi, the center's vice president for public relations, said Wednesday that "nothing is being demolished."
As reported by The Well News, speaking to reporters in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday, Trump said the building was in "very, very bad shape, very dangerous shape" and that recognition for his administration's restoration effort was needed, or the center could close and "end up being ripped down."
Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio Democratic board member who has sued over the center's governance, said in a statement that judicial intervention was needed to protect the memorial.
Trending
The legal dispute over the name, the board's authority, and the timing of any renovation remains before the court.
Love movies? Try our Box Office Game and Movie Grid Game to test your film knowledge and have some fun!
Reply
