Maria Shriver, the niece of John F. Kennedy, is not happy about the intense MAGA makeover of the Kennedy Center. “This is insane. It makes my blood boil,” she wrote on X on Monday.
Her comments came after the House Republicans voted to rename the center’s opera house after Melania Trump. Meanwhile, Missouri Rep. Bob Onder proposed that the entire building should be rebranded after Donald Trump.
Shriver has blasted the MAGA proposals on her X. “This is insane. It makes my blood boil. It’s so ridiculous, so petty, so small minded,” she wrote. Maria, who is a journalist by profession and was previously married to former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, further added, “Truly, what is this about? It’s always about something. ‘Let’s get rid of the Rose Garden. Let’s rename the Kennedy Center.’ What’s next?”
The woman is just very unhappy with how the Trump administration is rebranding everything, almost erasing legacy and history. The JFK Center is a homage to the former President who was assassinated in 1963. The Center for the Performing Arts was opened in 1971. According to the official website, the late President spent a great deal of time and effort trying to secure government and public funds for the center.
This is insane. It makes my blood boil. It’s so ridiculous, so petty, so small minded. Truly, what is this about? It’s always about something. ‘Let’s get rid of the Rose Garden. Let’s rename the Kennedy Center.’ What’s next? https://t.co/0qC7YU6ObT
— Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) July 28, 2025
If Bob Onder’s bill, dubbed Make Entertainment Great Again (MEGA), is passed, not only the opera house will lose its legacy, but also the entire name of JFK will be erased from Kennedy Center. In his statement, the Congressman claimed that he thinks Donald Trump is a better choice for the artistic hub.
“You would be hard-pressed to find a more significant cultural icon in the past 40 years than President Trump,” Onder said.
“President Trump’s love and mastery of entertainment has stood the test of time and allowed him to capture Americans’ attention for decades.” He insisted that the POTUS’s “golden touch has captivated and entertained audiences” for decades. To solidify his argument, he provided the names of his TV appearances in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Apprentice, and Saturday Night Live.
Yesterday, I proudly introduced H.R. 4715, the MEGA Act to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts.
I cannot think of a more ubiquitous symbol of American exceptionalism in the arts, entertainment, and popular… pic.twitter.com/Uga2EgnNIB
— Bob Onder (@RepBobOnder) July 24, 2025
This new bill comes after Trump has already put great efforts into reshaping the entire image of the center. In March, he fired the board of trustees and declared himself the chairman. He also claimed that the past programs were “woke and terrible.” He now wants to give them a conservative touch. In addition, Donald Trump also has plans to host the annual Kennedy Center Honors.
