President Donald Trump has generated a strong controversy by spreading a series of critical messages against the Kennedy family through his social network, Truth Social. These publications came just hours after the death of Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of former President John F. Kennedy, was made official.
The president used his platform to share third-party content questioning the family’s role in public life and its management of cultural institutions in Washington.
What Donald Trump said after the death of Kennedy’s granddaughter
The president’s social media activity consisted of redistributing screenshots of followers of the MAGA movement. In these messages, comparisons were made between the Trump administration and the Kennedy family, suggesting that the latter have used their influence in a political manner.
Although Trump did not explicitly mention Schlossberg’s passing, the timing chosen to amplify these criticisms coincided with the family’s period of mourning.
The messages shared placed special emphasis on the recent dispute over ownership of cultural spaces and support for the arts in the U.S. capital.
The death of Tatiana Schlossberg
Yesterday, the death of Tatiana Schlossberg at the age of 35 was confirmed: the news was communicated by the JFK Library Foundation on behalf of her husband, Dr. George Moran, and their children. Schlossberg, daughter of Caroline Kennedy, was a journalist dedicated to covering climate change and the environment.
Her death occurred after a battle against acute myeloid leukemia, a disease that she herself had publicly revealed in November 2025. Following the announcement, figures close to her family shared messages highlighting her professional career and the way she dealt with her medical treatment in recent weeks.
Dispute over the name of the Kennedy Center
The tension between the president and the Kennedy clan has as a direct antecedent the administrative decision on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. On December 18, the board of directors approved changing the name of the complex to the “Trump-Kennedy Center.” The new signage has already been placed on the building’s façade, placing Donald Trump’s name above John F. Kennedy’s name.
This move has provoked technical reactions from other family members, such as Jack Schlossberg and Joe Kennedy III. Both have pointed to possible irregularities in the board’s voting process and have argued that, as a national monument designated by federal law in 1963, any change in its naming should have the approval of the U.S. Congress.
Impact on the artistic sector
As a result of the name change and the political situation, several artists and groups, such as the jazz ensemble The Cookers, have cancelled their scheduled performances at the venue.
The resignations of artistic advisors have also followed one after another in disagreement with the new identity of the center. For its part, the Kennedy family has kept its public activity limited to posthumous tributes following the loss of Tatiana Schlossberg, without issuing direct responses to the publications shared by the president.
