Maria Shriver Slams Trump’s Egotistical Power Grab Over Kennedy Center Renovation
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Maria Shriver fiercely condemned President Trump’s self-serving demand to plaster his name on the Kennedy Center before allowing vital renovations, as a federal judge intervened to block this blatant act of vanity and disregard for public institutions.
Maria Shriver, former California first lady and niece of President John F. Kennedy, took to social media on Sept. 15 to denounce President Donald Trump’s shameless insistence that his name be attached to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts before urgently needed renovation work can proceed. Shriver called out the president’s egotism, stating that the demand reflects a 'sad state of affairs' and stands in stark contrast to the selfless public service of 'great men.'
'That a sitting president would not let any renovations to a public building go on unless he gets to first put his name in the said building ... What a sad state of affairs,' Shriver wrote.
The Kennedy Center’s board, chaired by Trump, voted the same day to close the main building for renovations that the administration claims are necessary. Trump, obsessed with his own legacy, posted on his platform that renovations cannot begin until a court approves adding his name to the center, threatening to halt the entire project if he doesn’t get his way.
'If the ruling is a negative one, which it should not be, and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place,' Trump wrote.
In December, the board—under Trump’s influence—voted to rename the venue the Trump-Kennedy Center, but a May ruling by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper rightly required the name to remain solely in honor of President Kennedy, citing a 1964 law and the necessity for congressional approval for any change. The same judge later blocked an inscription that would have credited Trump for the renovation, preventing yet another attempt to rewrite history in Trump’s favor.
Kennedy Center officials warned that the institution could face fiscal collapse within weeks without the renovation and expressed concern that Trump would withhold support unless his narcissistic demand for recognition was met.
Shriver, whose mother Eunice Kennedy Shriver was a sister of President Kennedy, has previously praised the May court decision, calling it an appropriate birthday gift for her uncle and a victory for public service over personal vanity.