JFK's Niece Says People Would 'Flood' Back to Kennedy Center if Trump Left

Kerry Kennedy, a niece of former President John F. Kennedy, claimed that people would "come flooding back" to the Kennedy Center if President Donald Trump withdrew his involvement, as thousands rallied outside the historic site on Friday to protest his renovation and renaming plans. Kennedy made the remarks on CNN's The Lead, urging President Trump to refrain from naming any building related to the Kennedy family.

Demonstrators encircled the Kennedy Center in a human chain, chanting "hands off" as they demonstrated against Trump's plans. The protest was organized by Hands Off the Arts, an organization dedicated to protecting the Kennedy Center from alleged authoritarian interference. Newsweek contacted both the Trump administration and the Kennedy Center for a response.

According to three sources familiar with the situation, the Kennedy Center had laid off more than a dozen employees on Friday, as reported by The Washington Post. On Friday, President Trump defended his proposal to add his name to the Kennedy Center, stating that the venue had consistently lost millions of dollars for many years and that repairs would necessitate ongoing subsidies.

Trump has been advocating for a significant renovation and reconstruction of the Kennedy Center, along with requesting to have his name incorporated into the structure. Congress had previously approved $257 million for the project, but Trump argued that the renovation would not commence unless the center permits the display of his name on the building.

The board of the Kennedy Center voted on Tuesday to close its main building while retaining the smaller theater wing, REACH. Trump commented on Wednesday that he desired to save the Kennedy Center but recognized that it would require substantial subsidies in the future. The building, he stated, is in "very very" poor and hazardous condition.

"And for us, as an administration to want to do that, I think the Trump administration should be recognized," Trump said. Earlier in the week, a judge ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days' notice before making any substantial physical alterations to the building, including demolition. Additionally, a photograph surfaced purportedly showing Trump reviewing demolition plans.

Kerry Kennedy described the image as "heartbreaking," stating, "This is the monument to our slain president and this is also the monument to arts in our entire country." The Kennedy Center's chairman and board of trustees are striving to save the institution, with the primary objective being to address critical infrastructure, safety issues, and modernization while preserving the site, which had been neglected for decades, according to Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center's vice president of public relations.

Daravi was among those dismissed on Friday, as reported by The Washington Post. In late August, Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys warned that the center could be demolished and rebuilt if it fails to undergo the extensive renovations demanded by President Trump. DOJ attorney Brantley T. Mayers referred to the building as "dangerously dilapidated, outdated, and decrepit" in a filing, arguing that the center would continue to deteriorate without Trump's remodeling.

The Kennedy Center was established by Congress in 1971 as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy. CNN Chief Political Analyst David Axelrod stated on Outfront Friday that Trump's plans would be "like taking a wrecking ball to the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial or the Jefferson Memorial." Tim Naftali, a former director of the Nixon Presidential Library and a CNN Presidential Historian, compared the endeavor to Franklin Roosevelt adding his name to the Lincoln Memorial.

Naftali remarked on CNN's Outfront that such an action would have been absurd and would have been unthinkable at the time. However, in the current era, people do not question the president's intentions.