RFK Jr shrugs off Kennedy Center renaming as family erupts over Trump move

WASHINGTON, DC: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy has finally weighed in on the controversy surrounding the renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, weeks after President Donald Trump’s allies added his name to the historic institution.

His response, however, struck a noticeably different tone from the anger and outrage expressed by other members of the Kennedy family.

Kennedy, 71, addressed the backlash during an interview with CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes on Thursday, January 8, after weeks of criticism aimed at the Trump administration over the decision.

“Saving one life is more important to me than the name on a building,” Kennedy said, adding that he was not involved in the decision to add Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center. “I have bigger fish to fry.”

Robert F Kennedy Jr says he had bigger priorities than the naming fight

When pressed on whether he understood why members of his family were outraged, Kennedy did not shy away from their frustration but made clear it was not his focus.

“Of course, I understand it, but I have bigger fish to fry,” he told CBS News. Kennedy pointed to childhood obesity and chronic disease, noting that a significant number of American children are failing basic health benchmarks. “If we lose any children in this country to obesity, heart disease — 77 percent of our kids can’t qualify for the military — saving one life is more important to me than the name on a building.”

Kennedy said he neither supported nor opposed the decision publicly and confirmed he did not advise against the renaming. Asked whether he personally took issue with Trump’s name being added to a memorial honoring his uncle, Kennedy said his attention remained on what he described as his core mission of “making America healthy again.”

The Kennedy Center was designated by Congress in 1964 as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, one year after his assassination, and has long stood as a nonpartisan cultural landmark.

Kennedy family members publicly condemned the name change

While RFK Jr. largely distanced himself from the dispute, other members of the Kennedy family responded forcefully.

Jack Schlossberg, 32, the only grandson of President John F. Kennedy, repeatedly condemned the move and questioned whether the board followed proper procedures. In a post on X, Schlossberg suggested the renaming was politically motivated and linked it to his newly announced congressional campaign.

In a separate Instagram post, Schlossberg escalated his rhetoric, urging supporters to send him to Congress and vowing not to back down from the fight.

Kerry Kennedy, RFK Jr.’s sister, also criticized the decision, vowing to personally remove Trump’s name from the building in the future. In a post on X, she said she planned to pull the letters off the building herself and framed the act as symbolic resistance to what she called an improper move.

Joe Kennedy III and Maria Shriver also weighed in. Shriver described the new name as “downright weird” and later said it was “beyond comprehension” for a sitting president to attach his name to a memorial honoring another president.

Dispute grew over how the Kennedy Center board approved the change

The renaming was first announced on December 18, 2025, by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who claimed the Kennedy Center board had voted unanimously to rename the institution the Trump-Kennedy Center.

That assertion was quickly challenged. Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty disputed the claim of a unanimous vote, saying she was muted during the board call and prevented from voicing her opposition.

“For the record, this was not unanimous,” Beatty said, adding that the issue was not listed on the agenda and that members were not given an opportunity for full discussion.

The conflicting accounts have only fueled criticism, keeping the controversy alive as Kennedy family members and lawmakers continue to question both the process and the precedent set by the renaming.