Scott Jennings scoffs at CNN outrage over Trump’s Kennedy Center renaming

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: CNN commentator Scott Jennings pushed back sharply against criticism of President Donald Trump after the Kennedy Center’s board voted to add Trump’s name to the iconic performing arts venue, questioning how his liberal colleagues managed to sustain what he described as constant outrage.

Jennings addressed the controversy during a heated panel discussion on CNN's 'NewsNight' With Abby Phillip on Friday, December 19, reacting to claims that the move disrespected the legacy of President John F Kennedy. 

Scott Jennings asks ‘how do you muster the outrage every day?’

During the exchange, criminal defense attorney Stacy Schneider accused Trump of “desecrating” the Kennedy Center by allowing his name to be added to the building.

“We don’t need to see Donald Trump’s name on there,” Schneider said, calling the move “gross” and unnecessary.

Jennings responded with disbelief, repeatedly pressing Schneider on why the issue had provoked such an emotional reaction.

“How do you muster the outrage every day?” Jennings asked, laughing. “It would exhaust me to be as outraged [as you].”

Schneider replied that she wished Jennings could feel the same exhaustion she does under Trump’s continued influence in public life.

Board vote sparks family backlash

The debate followed a unanimous vote by the board of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which is chaired by President Trump, to rename the venue the Trump-Kennedy Center.

The decision prompted immediate criticism from several members of the Kennedy family, including JFK’s niece Maria Shriver.

“Some things leave you speechless, and enraged, and in a state of disbelief,” Shriver said in response to the decision. 

Jennings said that he was not surprised by the backlash but found the intensity misplaced.

Scott Jennings dismisses criticism as selective outrage

Jennings argued that Trump’s involvement with the Kennedy Center reflected his interest in the arts and broader institutional reform.

“He loves the arts. He loves the Kennedy Center,” Jennings said, adding that criticism from the Kennedy family rang hollow.

“Being lectured by the Kennedys about stooping low — spare me,” he said.

Jennings also predicted legal challenges to the renaming but suggested that such disputes were inevitable given Trump’s political legacy.

“He’s a two-term president,” Jennings said. “They’re gonna name some stuff after him.”

Debate over precedent and symbolism

CNN anchors later asked whether Jennings would support similar naming efforts by former Presidents Barack Obama or Joe Biden.

Jennings dismissed the comparison as flawed, noting that the Kennedy Center is a performance venue, not a monument with a presidential statue like the Lincoln Memorial.

“It’s a building with a theater in it,” he said.