Donald Trump’s fight over the Kennedy Center has drawn criticism from two members of John F. Kennedy’s family. Kerry Kennedy and Maria Shriver have challenged the president’s handling of the arts institution. They are questioning why its future now hinges on his push to reshape the landmark.

Kerry Kennedy and Maria Shriver criticize Donald Trump after the center’s closure

The dispute intensified after the Kennedy Center board voted Tuesday to close the performing arts center for two years. The decision came shortly after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked Trump’s attempt to put his name on the building. The board includes second lady Usha Vance, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and MAGA musician Lee Greenwood, among other Trump allies (via The Daily Beast).

Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and sister of Donald Trump’s health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., called the closure “hostage taking by the president of the United States” during an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett. She also rejected the board’s argument that the center faced bankruptcy and needed major renovations.

Kerry pointed to the $250 million that GOP-led Congress approved for Trump’s renovation project last year. During her CNN appearance, she argued that the funding already exists and questioned why the center suddenly faced a financial crisis after the court rejected Trump’s naming effort. She also pushed back on Trump’s claim that only he could raise the money needed to save the institution.

Her criticism went beyond the Kennedy Center itself. Kerry cited the war in Iran, which she said had cost $40 billion so far, along with rising gas prices and the broader cost of living. She urged Trump to concentrate on those issues and “leave the Kennedy Center alone.”

Maria Shriver, JFK’s niece and daughter of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, delivered her own rebuke on X. She called Trump’s insistence on attaching his name to the public building “small-minded” and “narcissistic.”

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