:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(748x355:750x357)/john-f-kennedy-donald-trump-121825-12f328607b184232856a05e17d454046.jpg?ssl=1 "Donald Trump Attacks Kennedy Family Hours After Death of JFK’s Granddaughter Tatiana Schlossberg")
NEED TO KNOW
- In the hours following the death of Caroline Kennedy’s daughter Tatiana Schlossberg, President Donald Trump took to social media to mock the famous political family
- On Truth Social on the afternoon of Dec. 30, Trump shared screenshots of MAGA supporters insulting the Kennedys for their response to his recent decision to add his own name to the Kennedy Center
- Members of the family have claimed that Trump is barred from renaming the center “by federal law,” however, work crews have already added his name above JFK’s on the historic memorial site
As the Kennedys mourned the untimely death of Tatiana Schlossberg — the daughter of Caroline Kennedy and granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy — Donald Trump took to social media to share posts mocking the famous family.
Tatiana, the middle child of Caroline Kennedy and her husband, Edwin Schlossberg, died on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at age 35, just over a month after publicly sharing that she had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.
The news was shared by the social media accounts for the JFK Library Foundation, on behalf of Tatiana’s family, which included her husband, Dr. George Moran, and their young children, Edwin and Josephine.
“Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts,” read the post, which was signed by “George, Edwin and Josephine Moran, Ed, Caroline, Jack, Rose and Rory.”
Trump did not directly mention Tatiana’s death in his social media deluge following her death. Instead, he shared screenshots of MAGA supporters mocking the famous political family for their recent responses to his decision to add his name to the Kennedy Center, a historic performance venue in Washington, D.C., which was dedicated as a memorial to JFK following his assassination in Dallas, Texas, in 1963.
“The Kennedy Family have LONG neglected the Kennedy Center, btw,” claimed one. “They don’t raise money for it. They never show up. And the only Kennedy who has been there recently is a member of Trump’s cabinet.”
“The Trumps have always been supporters of the arts. The Kennedys are supporters of the Kennedys,” read another.
Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Thursday, Dec. 18, that the board of the historic venue had “voted unanimously” to rename the building to the “Trump-Kennedy Center.” The following day, work crews added “The Donald Trump and” above the previously-existing lettering, which read, “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
However, controversy quickly arose among members of the Kennedy Center board and the family itself. Tatiana’s brother, Jack Schlossberg, wrote on X that “microphones were muted” during the conference call where the board voted, and the outcome was “NOT unanimous.”
Jack’s claim aligned with comments made by Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, who serves as an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board. Following the vote, Beatty took to X with allegations that she and other opponents of the vote were muted on the call and were not allowed to vote their differing opinions.
“For the record. This was not unanimous. I was muted on the call and not allowed to speak or voice my opposition to this move,” Beatty, 75, wrote. “Also for the record, this was not on the agenda. This was not consensus. This is censorship.”
In her video message, she continued, “Clearly the Congress has a say in this. This center, the Kennedy Center, was created by the Congress. I think it’s important for us to know that this is just another attempt to evade the law and not let the people have a say.”
Other Kennedys have approached the matter from a legal standpoint. “The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law,” wrote Joe Kennedy III, the grandson of former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. “It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.”
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The Kennedys have yet to respond to Trump’s latest attacks. The only family members who have posted to social media in the hours following Tatiana’s death have been those sharing loving tributes, like Caroline’s cousin, Maria Shriver, who was directly mocked in some of Trump’s screenshots.
“I return to this space today to pay tribute to my sweet, beloved Tatiana, who left this earth today,” Shriver wrote on X. “I return to this space to pay tribute and honor her loving and supportive family, who came together and did everything they possibly could do to help her. I return to this space heartbroken because Tatiana loved life. She loved her life, and she fought like hell to try to save it.”
“I cannot make sense of this. I cannot make any sense of it at all. None. Zero,” she continued. “My heart has always been with my cousin Caroline ever since we were little kids. My entire being is with her now. What a rock she has been.”
“Those of us left behind will make sure Eddie and Josie know what a beautiful, courageous spirit their mother was and will always be. She takes after her extraordinary mother, Caroline. May we all hold Tatiana’s family in our collective embrace not just today, but in the days ahead, and may each of you who read this know how lucky you are to be alive right now. Please pause and honor your life. It truly is such a gift.”
