Maria Shriver Slams 'Petty' Bill to Rename Kennedy Center After Trump

Maria Shriver (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Alzheimer's Association California )

By    |   Tuesday, 29 July 2025 03:02 PM EDT ET

Maria Shriver ripped a bill introduced by Missouri Republican Rep. Bob Onder that seeks to rename the Kennedy Center after President Donald Trump, The Hill reported on Tuesday.

Shriver, who is a women's health advocate and former President John F. Kennedy's niece, said the bill, which would rename the performing arts center as the Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts, "makes my blood boil. It's so ridiculous, so petty, so small-minded." 

She added that "this is insane. ... Truly, what is this about? It's always about something."

Onder praised Trump in a statement about the bill's intent to change the name, saying, "I cannot think of a more ubiquitous symbol of American exceptionalism in the arts, entertainment, and popular culture at large than President Trump," according to The Hill.

Onder's legislation came after House Republicans on the Appropriations Committee approved an amendment that would rename a space inside the Kennedy Center the "First Lady Melania Trump Opera House" as a way to recognize her "support and commitment to promoting the arts."

In February, the president ousted the Kennedy Center's board and named himself as its chair  and vowed to "fix it up."

Brian Freeman

Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.

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Politics
Maria Shriver ripped a bill introduced by Missouri Republican Rep. Bob Onder that seeks to rename the Kennedy Center after President Donald Trump, The Hill reported on Tuesday.
maria shriver, trump, kennedy center, bob onder
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2025-02-29
Tuesday, 29 July 2025 03:02 PM
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