Latest news with #KennedyCenter
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
JFK grandson rips move to name Kennedy Center theater after Melania Trump: This administration ‘stands for freedom of oppression'
Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, is blasting a measure from House Republicans that would rename the Kennedy Center's famed Opera House in honor of Melania Trump. 'A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces — but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers,' Schlossberg, quoting his grandfather, wrote in a Tuesday post on Instagram. 'JFK believed the arts made our country great and could be our most effective weapon in the fight for civil rights and against authoritarian governments around the world,' Schlossberg, a vocal critic of President Trump, said. 'The Trump administration stands for freedom of oppression, not expression,' he added. '[Trump] uses his awesome powers to suppress free expression and instill fear,' the 32-year-old son of former U.S. ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg said. Schlossberg's social media post came after House Republicans on the Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to the interior, environment and related agencies annual spending bill on Tuesday that would rename the opera house in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts the 'First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.' Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) called the move an 'excellent way to recognize [Melania Trump's] support and commitment to promoting the arts.' The Opera House renaming effort came after the president, accusing the Kennedy Center of being too 'woke,' overhauled its board in February and named himself its chair. But Schlossberg said the potential name change to the prominent institution's Opera House was not 'about the arts.' 'Trump is obsessed with being bigger than JFK , with minimizing the many heroes of our past, as if that elevates him. It doesn't,' he said. 'But there's hope,' Schlossberg wrote to his nearly 700,000 followers, 'art lasts forever, and no one can change what JFK and our shared history stands for.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Express Tribune
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Opera house may be renamed after Melania
Republicans in the US House of Representatives sought on Tuesday to rename the opera house in Washington's John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after First Lady Melania Trump, reported AFP. The Republican-led House Appropriations Committee voted to advance language that would condition funding for Washington's premier cultural institution on the name change as it debated the 2026 budget. Idaho congressman Mike Simpson, who introduced an amendment to call the venue the "First Lady Melania Trump Opera House," said it was an "excellent way to recognise her support and commitment to promoting the arts." The move marked the latest front in President Donald Trump's hostile takeover of the Kennedy Center, after he fired board members in February and appointed himself chairman, and replaced its longtime president with ally Richard Grenell. Trump, who accused the institution of being too "woke," also picked White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and Second Lady Usha Vance to serve as trustees. Republicans have been keen to flatter Trump and help the president cement his legacy in his second term, including by introducing legislation to rename the capital region's Dulles International Airport after him. There have also been efforts in Congress to replace Benjamin Franklin with Trump on the $100 bill, to carve Trump's likeness on the iconic Mount Rushmore, to name a national holiday after him and to reimagine Washington's Metro train service as the Trump Train. The Kennedy Center change was added to legislation principally providing 2026 funding for the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency. But the 2,364-seat theater — the second-largest at the Kennedy Center complex — would only get its new designation if the change was approved by both chambers of Congress. Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate and spending bills require 60 votes to pass, meaning Democrats may be able to strip the name change out of the text before any final vote.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
JFK grandson rips move to name Kennedy Center theater after Melania Trump: This administration ‘stands for freedom of oppression'
Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, is blasting a measure from House Republicans that would rename the Kennedy Center's famed Opera House in honor of Melania Trump. 'A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces — but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers,' Schlossberg, quoting his grandfather, wrote in a Tuesday post on Instagram. 'JFK believed the arts made our country great and could be our most effective weapon in the fight for civil rights and against authoritarian governments around the world,' Schlossberg, a vocal critic of President Trump, said. 'The Trump administration stands for freedom of oppression, not expression,' he added. '[Trump] uses his awesome powers to suppress free expression and instill fear,' the 32-year-old son of former U.S. ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg said. Schlossberg's social media post came after House Republicans on the Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to the interior, environment and related agencies annual spending bill on Tuesday that would rename the opera house in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts the 'First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.' Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) called the move an 'excellent way to recognize [Melania Trump's] support and commitment to promoting the arts.' The Opera House renaming effort came after the president, accusing the Kennedy Center of being too 'woke,' overhauled its board in February and named himself its chair. But Schlossberg said the potential name change to the prominent institution's Opera House was not 'about the arts.' 'Trump is obsessed with being bigger than JFK , with minimizing the many heroes of our past, as if that elevates him. It doesn't,' he said. 'But there's hope,' Schlossberg wrote to his nearly 700,000 followers, 'art lasts forever, and no one can change what JFK and our shared history stands for.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hill
JFK grandson rips move to name Kennedy Center theater after Melania Trump: This administration ‘stands for freedom of oppression'
Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, is blasting a measure from House Republicans that would rename the Kennedy Center's famed Opera House in honor of Melania Trump. 'A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces — but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers,' Schlossberg, quoting his grandfather, wrote in a Tuesday post on Instagram. 'JFK believed the arts made our country great and could be our most effective weapon in the fight for civil rights and against authoritarian governments around the world,' Schlossberg, a vocal critic of President Trump, said. 'The Trump administration stands for freedom of oppression, not expression,' he added. '[Trump] uses his awesome powers to suppress free expression and instill fear,' the 32-year-old son of former U.S. ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg said. Schlossberg's social media post came after House Republicans on the Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to the interior, environment and related agencies annual spending bill on Tuesday that would rename the opera house in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts the 'First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.' Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) called the move an 'excellent way to recognize [Melania Trump's] support and commitment to promoting the arts.' The Opera House renaming effort came after the president, accusing the Kennedy Center of being too 'woke,' overhauled its board in February and named himself its chair. But Schlossberg said the potential name change to the prominent institution's Opera House was not 'about the arts.' 'Trump is obsessed with being bigger than JFK , with minimizing the many heroes of our past, as if that elevates him. It doesn't,' he said. 'But there's hope,' Schlossberg wrote to his nearly 700,000 followers, 'art lasts forever, and no one can change what JFK and our shared history stands for.'
MTV Lebanon
a day ago
- Entertainment
- MTV Lebanon
Republicans seek to rename opera house after US First Lady Melania Trump
Republicans in the US House of Representatives sought Tuesday to rename the opera house in Washington's John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after First Lady Melania Trump. The Republican-led House Appropriations Committee voted to advance language that would condition funding for Washington's premier cultural institution on the name change as it debated the 2026 budget. Idaho congressman Mike Simpson, who introduced an amendment to call the venue the 'First Lady Melania Trump Opera House,' said it was an 'excellent way to recognize her support and commitment to promoting the arts.' The move marked the latest front in President Donald Trump's hostile takeover of the Kennedy Center, after he fired board members in February and appointed himself chairman, and replaced its longtime president with ally Richard Grenell. Trump, who accused the institution of being too 'woke,' also picked White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and Second Lady Usha Vance to serve as trustees. The president was met with cheers and boos at the center in June as he attended an opening night performance of hit musical 'Les Miserables.' Republicans have been keen to flatter Trump and help the president cement his legacy in his second term, including by introducing legislation to rename the capital region's Dulles International Airport after him. There have also been efforts in Congress to replace Benjamin Franklin with Trump on the $100 bill, to carve Trump's likeness on the iconic Mount Rushmore, to name a national holiday after him and to reimagine Washington's Metro train service as the Trump Train. The Kennedy Center change was added to legislation principally providing 2026 funding for the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency. But the 2,364-seat theater -- the second-largest at the Kennedy Center complex -- would only get its new designation if the change was approved by both chambers of Congress. Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate and spending bills require 60 votes to pass, meaning Democrats may be able to strip the name change out of the text before any final vote.
