President Donald Trump announced a two-year shutdown of the Kennedy Center starting on July 4th. He said the arts complex is “tired, broken, and dilapidated.” The president plans a major renovation and has already put his name on the building’s exterior, though he needs congressional approval to officially change the institution’s name.
The timing of this decision has sparked major controversy. According to The Daily Beast, a letter written by Jackie Kennedy decades ago has come back into public attention. The letter shows her biggest worries about the institution that would be named after her late husband.
Jackie Kennedy wrote the letter in October 1964, one year after John F. Kennedy was killed. She sent it to the center’s chairman, Roger Stevens. In the letter, she explained her concerns about naming the Washington D.C. institution after her husband. She said she felt pressured to agree when she wasn’t “capable of making any decision.”
Jackie Kennedy’s warning about political control has come true
Her main worry was not about the memorial itself. She thought his grave and library already served that purpose. She was concerned about how the institution might be used for politics in the future. “All I care about now is sparing him controversy,” she wrote. “He has a right to peace now. So you must understand my hesitancy.”
She agreed to the naming only if certain conditions were met. She wanted control over picking the center’s director, her representative to the board, and its trustees. She made clear what she wanted to prevent Kennedy descendants have strongly opposed the recent changes to the institution.
When talking about choosing trustees, she said the list should be “honed down to people who will care and work for the Center.” Then she gave a serious warning. “The appointment of trustees must never be allowed to fall into the realm of political patronage,” she wrote. She warned against appointing someone “being repaid for past favors (George Brown) or named in hope of campaign contributions.”
She was so serious about her demands that she threatened legal action. “If these things cannot be granted, then I will ask in the next session of Congress that the Center’s name be changed,” she wrote. “If you will grant me these things, I will work with you with dedication. I do not think that I am difficult to work with.”
Sixty years later, her fears appear to have come true. After returning to the White House, President Trump made himself chairman of the Kennedy Center. He then put MAGA loyalists on the historically bipartisan board. Ric Grenell, a Trump loyalist, was named president. Sergio Gor, a close associate of the president, was made secretary. This appears to be the exact type of political control she tried to prevent.
The arts community reacted strongly to these changes. Several well-known acts canceled their performances in protest. Ticket sales have dropped significantly. Despite the controversy, President Trump is moving forward with his plans to demolish and rebuild the historic venue. He said the two-year closure is needed for quality work. “If we don’t close, the quality of Construction will not be nearly as good, and the time to completion, because of interruption from Audiences from the many Events using the Facility, will be much longer,” the president stated.
Published: Feb 5, 2026 10:22 am