Maria Shriver he celebrates his family's victory after the judge ruled against the President Donald TrumpJohn F. Kennedy Award for the Performing Arts.
“A perfect present for my uncle's birthday today,” Shriver, 70, wrote on Threads on Friday, May 29, referring to the President. John F. Kennedywho would have been 109 today.
He explained, “The judge ruled that President Trump and the Kennedy Center Board acted illegally in renaming the Kennedy Center after him. The judge said that only Congress could change the name of the Center and blocked the planned two-year closure for now.”
Shriver – his mother, Eunice Kennedypart of the newsworthy Kennedy family and one of JFK's brothers – he added, “I know they're going to complain and the story isn't over, but for now, let's celebrate the best birthday present.”
Shriver's celebratory post comes shortly after news broke that a judge had blocked Trump, 79, from adding his name to the Kennedy Center after placing his moniker on the iconic building in December 2025. (The building currently reads: The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.)
The judge Christopher Cooper He pointed out that only Congress has the authority to make such a change. He wrote in a 94-page order that the law passed by Congress to build the art center in Washington, DC, was “clear” that the building be named after President Kennedy.
“Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” Cooper wrote.
The Trump Kennedy Center supports the president's public affairs, Rome Daravihe told Us Weekly in a statement Friday that the agency “is confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board's will to honor President Trump's historic contributions to our nation's cultural center.”
A judge, meanwhile, temporarily blocked the Kennedy Center from closing for two years because of Trump's renovations.
Cooper explained that his decision was due to the fact that the Board of Trustees of the Kennedy Center did not balance its obligations to the center when it agreed to close for repairs. “None of the board members had sufficient information prior to the March 16 meeting to make a well-considered decision to close the facility,” the judge wrote, according to the report. New York Times.
If the board works to “independently balance its many responsibilities at the Institute in a prudent manner,” the judge said it can shut down for repairs.
Responding to the judge's decision, Davari said Us On Friday, “We will review the decision carefully although the fact remains – the Center needs an urgent and important restoration – the fact that agrees with the plaintiff.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. weighed in on President Donald Trump's decision to rename the Kennedy Center to add his name to the memorial. In a new interview released Thursday, January 8, CBS News White House correspondent Nancy Cordes asked RFK Jr., 71, if he understood why his family members were “upset” […]
The Trump Kennedy Center's VP of public relations added, “With $257 million secured by President Trump and authorized by Congress, resources are in place and we are committed to following all legal procedures to ensure that the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.”
Before today's decision, Trump had received a setback since his re-election in December 2025.
“Adding your name to a memorial already named to honor a great man does not make you a great man. Quite the contrary,” Shriver wrote on Instagram at the time. Putting your name over someone else's name doesn't mean that people will talk about you in the same spirit as someone else. Putting your name above someone else's on their existing memorial… What's that all about? Really? What is that about?”
Trump also came under scrutiny when it was announced that he would be closing the facility on July 4 to add entertainment space.
Kennedy heir Jack Schlossberg revealed how President Donald Trump could win his family's Profile in Courage Award. “To be honest, I don't think he's going to run anytime soon,” Schlossberg, 33, joked during an appearance on MS Now on Sunday, March 22. Schlossberg appeared on the cable network to promote […]
“The Trump Kennedy Center will close on July 4, 2026, in honor of our Nation's 250th Anniversary, when we will simultaneously begin construction on a new and spectacular Recreation Center,” the president wrote on Truth Social in February. “This important decision, based on input from many highly respected Professionals, will take a tired, broken and dilapidated Center, which has been in poor condition, financially and structurally for many years, and transform it into a World Class Bastion of Arts, Music and Entertainment, better than ever.”
Jack SchlossbergJFK's only grandchild and a candidate for Congress, was also outraged by Trump's actions.
“Trump can take over the Kennedy Center. He can change the name, close the doors, and tear down the building,” Schlossberg, 33, wrote on X. “He could try to kill JFK. But JFK is being kept alive by us who are now standing up to remove Donald Trump, bring him to justice, and restore freedom to generations of freedom fighters.”
Us Weekly has reached out to the White House for comment.
