Jack Schlossberg says there’s more to the story than what was announced from the White House this week — and that the public hasn’t been told the truth about the vote to rename one of the nation’s most iconic cultural landmarks.
According to PEOPLE, on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed that the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts had voted to add President Donald Trump’s name to the building, which will now carry the title “Trump–Kennedy Center.”
Leavitt said the decision was “unanimous,” a claim that immediately triggered questions from board members and sparked a sharp rebuke from Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy.
Posting on X, Schlossberg directly challenged the White House narrative.
“Microphones were muted and the board meeting and vote NOT unanimous,” he wrote.
Schlossberg, who recently launched a congressional bid, suggested the decision may have been personally motivated.
“I’m told Trump explicitly motivated to act by JACK FOR NEW YORK,” he continued. “Our campaign represents everything Trump can’t stand or defeat.”
His account aligned with Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, who serves on the Kennedy Center board. She said she and others were silenced during the meeting.
“For the record. This was not unanimous. I was muted on the call and not allowed to speak or voice my opposition to this move,” Beatty wrote.
She added, “This was not on the agenda. This was not consensus. This is censorship.”
In a video message, Beatty argued that Congress was being sidelined in a process she said belonged in the public arena.
“This center, the Kennedy Center, was created by the Congress,” she said. “I think it’s important for us to know that this is just another attempt to evade the law and not let the people have a say.”
Trump has spoken openly about placing his stamp on the Kennedy Center throughout his second term. Early in 2025, he appointed himself chairman, replacing existing board members and installing a slate of MAGA-aligned figures.
In July, Republican Rep. Bob Onder introduced legislation to rename the building the “Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts,” a bill that never became law. Trump later joked about the renaming in a Truth Social post, hinting at his interest in reshaping the institution’s legacy.
Schlossberg has repeatedly argued the change violates federal law governing the Kennedy Center’s status as a memorial.
In past posts, he pointed to Public Law 88-260, noting that no additional memorials may be designated within the building.
“Plain reading of the statute makes clear — YOU CAN’T DO THAT,” he wrote.
For Schlossberg, the issue is not merely legal — it’s personal. He has described Trump’s push as an attempt to overshadow history rather than honor it.
“Trump is obsessed with being bigger than JFK,” he wrote on Instagram earlier this year. “As if that elevates him. It doesn’t.”
He added, “Art lasts forever, and no one can change what JFK and our shared history stands for.”
As the renaming moves forward, questions remain about how the vote unfolded — and whether the public will ever know exactly what happened behind the muted lines.
