Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, strongly criticized House Republicans after they proposed renaming the Kennedy Center Opera House in honor of First Lady Melania Trump, referencing what he described as a federal law forbidding such a move.
On July 22, 2025, the House Appropriations Committee, with Republican lawmakers leading the vote 33-25 mostly along party lines, approved an amendment to rename the Kennedy Center’s second-largest theater the “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.” Representative Mike Simpson, a Republican from Idaho, introduced this amendment, attaching it to a funding bill for the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The next day, Schlossberg posted a detailed response on Instagram, accusing President Trump of being fixated on eclipsing his grandfather’s legacy. The 32-year-old Harvard Law graduate claimed the Trump administration stands for the suppression of free expression and uses governmental power to silence dissent and foster fear.
In a follow-up Instagram message, Schlossberg pointed to a federal statute enacted on December 2, 1983, stating that “no additional memorials or plaques in the nature of memorials shall be designated or installed in the public areas of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.” Emphasizing the law’s wording, he insisted, “a plain reading of the statute makes clear — YOU CAN’T DO THAT.”
Created in 1964 after Kennedy’s assassination, the Kennedy Center was intended as an ongoing tribute to the president. It opened in 1971, having been established by Public Law 88-260 as a dynamic memorial, which is why the law bars further memorial dedications within the center.
Earlier in the year, President Trump dismissed the majority of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, bringing in his own allies as replacements. He later urged these new members to select him as chairman, a move that has sparked backlash from many artists and cultural leaders who oppose his influence over the institution.
Representative Simpson defended his proposed amendment, explaining it was meant to honor Melania Trump’s service as Honorary Chair of the Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees. As chair of the House committee responsible for the center’s federal operations and maintenance funding, Simpson called the renaming a fitting tribute to the First Lady’s support for the arts.
In his own statements, Schlossberg stressed that his grandfather viewed the arts as vital for advancing civil rights and resisting authoritarianism. He noted that President Kennedy endured political attacks for inviting Black artists to the White House, such as the Staples Singers, and for backing figures like Harry Belafonte and James Baldwin on international tours.
The debate over the Kennedy Center’s naming surfaced against the backdrop of Schlossberg’s dispute with producer Ryan Murphy regarding a forthcoming FX series about John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. Murphy remarked on a podcast that it was odd for Schlossberg to object to a depiction of a relative he barely knew. Schlossberg responded on social media, recalling fond memories of his uncle, including being called “Jackolatern” and being picked up from school in his uncle’s Pontiac convertible.
Schlossberg also remembered acting as ring bearer at Kennedy Jr.’s wedding and the day his uncle died in a 1999 plane crash. He criticized Murphy for profiting from his uncle’s life while neglecting the charitable work and legacy of public service that Kennedy Jr. championed.
On July 24, 2025, Schlossberg made another bold social media post, proposing a deal to President Trump: If Trump released files connected to Jeffrey Epstein, Schlossberg would assist him in achieving what he described as Trump’s lifelong dream of altering the Kennedy Center’s name.
The measure to rename the Opera House still needs the approval of the full House and Senate before taking effect. Lawmakers expect the proposal to come up for a vote in the House when Congress reconvenes after the August recess in September 2025.
Representative Greg Casar, a progressive Democrat from Texas, denounced the Republican plan as an example of misplaced priorities, pointing out that while 17 million face the risk of losing health care, Republicans are focused on renaming the Opera House.
President Trump and Melania Trump attended a performance of “Les Misérables” at the Kennedy Center in early June 2025. Their presence sparked mixed reactions from the audience, with both cheers and boos, and several cast members chose to boycott the show in protest.