Donald Trump faced backlash after he reshared posts attacking the Kennedy family on Truth Social just hours after the death of Tatiana Schlossberg became public. Schlossberg, 35, the daughter of Caroline Kennedy and granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy, died on December 30 following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia, the JFK Library Foundation confirmed. In an essay in The New Yorker, she wrote that she was diagnosed on May 25 last year, the day she gave birth to her second child, and described treatment including chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, and a final clinical trial.
Soon after her death was announced, Trump amplified messages criticising the Kennedys over their opposition to renaming the Kennedy Center, following a board decision to change the name to the Trump-Kennedy Center. One post accused the family of neglecting the institution, while another said the Kennedys “support only themselves.” Members of the Kennedy family and Democratic lawmakers argue the renaming is illegal because the center is a living memorial created by Congress.
Jack Schlossberg said the board vote was not unanimous. Joe Kennedy III warned the change could face legal challenges. Kerry Kennedy accused the Trump administration of suppressing free expression, and Maria Shriver said the timing of the attacks left her “speechless and enraged.”
Criticism of Trump’s reposts spread quickly. The MeidasTouch Network called the move “a stunning display of cruelty,” and journalist John Harwood said the behaviour was troubling. Trump has not commented directly on Schlossberg’s death.
Several performers have cancelled appearances since the renaming, including The Cookers, Doug Varone and Dancers, Kristy Lee, and Chuck Redd. The John F. Kennedy Center was created after President Kennedy’s 1963 assassination to honour his legacy.
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