Maria Shriver criticizes President Trump over Kennedy Center renovation dispute

Maria Shriver, former California first lady and niece of President John F. Kennedy, used social media on Sept. 15 to denounce President Donald Trump’s insistence that his name be attached to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts before renovation work can proceed. She said the demand reflects a “sad state of affairs” and contrasted it with the 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 says are necessary. Trump posted on his platform that the renovations cannot begin until a court approves adding his name to the center, warning that a negative ruling would halt the project.

"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 voted to rename the venue the Trump-Kennedy Center, but a May ruling by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper required the name to remain solely in honor of President Kennedy, citing a 1964 law and the need for congressional approval for any change. The same judge later blocked an inscription stating the building was “renovated and restored by Donald J. Trump.”

Kennedy Center officials warned that the institution could face fiscal collapse within weeks without the renovation and expressed concern that Trump would not oversee the project without the requested recognition.

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.