U.S. President Donald Trump upon his arrival to meet Irish President Catherine Connolly at Aras an Uachtarain, in Dublin, Ireland, September 12, 2026. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton
On Monday, following news that the Kennedy Center may declare bankruptcy and close unless President Donald Trump’s name is added to the building, one of his family members took to social media to warn that the move is part of his effort to “punish” the United States. This is according to the president’s niece, psychologist Mary L. Trump, who asserted that her uncle is lashing out because "he can’t get his way.”
“He's still upset because he had to take his stupid name off the side of the building, and he's going to punish the rest of us simply because he can't get his way,” said Mary Trump. “That's what this is about, period, end of story.” According to Mary Trump, the board – which she characterizes as “a bunch of handpicked sycophants” – declared “without any sense of shame or self-awareness” that it “recognizes that Donald's efforts and prestige provide the sole hope for the center's financial survival and structural renewal.”
As the Washington Post elaborates, “Leaders of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, installed by President Donald Trump, say the center is on the brink of bankruptcy and argue that putting the president’s name on its facade — and thus ensuring his fundraising efforts — may be the only way to avoid imminent and ‘certain fiscal collapse.’” The Trump-led board is scheduled to consider two resolutions aimed at addressing twin crises confronting the national performing arts center: one financial, the other physical. As the Post explains, “Center officials say they could be unable to make payroll or pay routine maintenance contracts ‘within a matter of weeks’ and argue that publicly recognizing Trump could secure his help raising enough money to keep the institution afloat. Center officials are also recommending that the board close its main building immediately, warning that remaining open would endanger lives. Board approval, which seems likely, means the center could close as early as Tuesday.” What’s more, “The presentation makes clear that Trump’s support hinges on getting public credit for his involvement.”
The president’s niece wasn’t having it, saying, “Yes, yes, only Donald Trump can save the Kennedy Center from itself. The man who just so deeply loves and honors the arts. B——.”
The Post seems to agree, writing, “Together, the two proposals represent a remarkable new phase in Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center, which has been engulfed by financial turmoil, leadership upheaval and litigation since he installed himself as chairman last year. Trump and his allies have repeatedly portrayed his leadership — and his name — as essential to rescuing the institution, even as ticket sales and fundraising have plummeted under their stewardship.” Now, trustees are being asked to choose among 10 texts that could be placed on the building’s exterior beneath its name, including one reading, “Renovation Restoration and Endowment overseen by President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.”
Lawyers for Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), a Kennedy Center trustee who has sued to keep Trump’s name off the building, responded to the latest news with a statement declaring, “This constant effort to add Donald Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center facade is the definition of insanity. This is now the third attempt to deface this sacred memorial and turn it into a vanity project for one man’s ego. Worse still, now Trump is taking the Center hostage and threatening to in effect kill it unless he gets his way. This has to stop.”
