After U.S. House Republicans moved to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after first lady Melania Trump on July 22, 2025, a rumor spread that Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former President Kennedy, slammed the effort in an Instagram post.
For example, the Facebook page for Occupy Democrats relayed the claim in a July 23, 2025,
(Facebook page Occupy Democrats)
The post had gained 266,000 reactions and 29,000 comments. Further, it was reshared 105,000 times on the social media platform, spreading the claim.
The rumor is true. On July 22, 2025, Republicans on the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives passed an amendment that would rename Kennedy Center to First Lady Melania Trump Opera House. The amendment, introduced by Rep. Mike Simpson, a Republican from Idaho, passed as part of the 2026 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. The bill and amendment had yet to become law.
In response, Schlossberg, whose mother is JFK's and Jacqueline Kennedy's (later Onassis) daughter Caroline Kennedy, posted several images, including a screen capture of a report by The Hill on the amendment. He added a caption criticizing the move (archived):
(Instagram user @jackuno)
Schlossberg's post had amassed 30,638 likes as of this writing. The caption, which opened with a quote by his grandfather, read (emphasis ours):
"A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces — but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers. "
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.
He took political heat for it at the time — for inviting black artists to the White House, like the Staples Singers. For supporting black Americans like Harry Belafonte and James Baldwin on global tours to showcase the best of our society.
Pablo Cassals, a symbol of resistance to fascism, played for President Kennedy. Yo-yo Ma did too… when he was just 6 years old. Robert Frost performed at JFK's inaugural. The Mona Lisa came and visited the WH.
The Trump Administration stands for freedom of oppression, not expression. He uses his awesome powers to suppress free expression and instill fear. But this isn't about the arts.
[President Donald] Trump is obsessed with being bigger than JFK , with minimizing the many heroes of our past, as if that elevates him. It doesn't.
But there's hope — art lasts forever, and no one can change what JFK and our shared history stands for.
Snopes contacted the White House to ask whether President Donald Trump or his wife Melania Trump had requested House Republicans to rename the opera house.