Donald Trump mocks the Kennedys hours after Tatiana Schlossberg’s death

Donald Trump shared posts mocking the Kennedy family on Truth Social just hours after the death of Tatiana Schlossberg, the granddaughter of former US president John F. Kennedy.

Tatiana, the daughter of Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg, died on Tuesday, December 30, aged 35. Her family confirmed the news through the JFK Library Foundation, revealing that she had been battling acute myeloid leukaemia, a diagnosis she made public last month.

As the family mourned, Donald Trump reposted screenshots from MAGA supporters criticising the Kennedys over their response to his recent decision to add his own name to the Kennedy Center, the Washington, DC performing arts venue established as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy following his assassination in 1963.

Trump did not mention Tatiana’s death directly in his posts. Instead, he amplified comments accusing the Kennedy family of neglecting the centre and questioning their involvement in its fundraising and operations.

One post claimed the Kennedys had “long neglected” the venue, while another suggested the Trump family had shown greater support for the arts. The remarks came amid growing controversy surrounding the renaming of the Kennedy Center.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on December 18 that the board of the venue had voted unanimously to rename it the “Trump-Kennedy Center”. The following day, work crews added Trump’s name above the existing John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts signage.

That account was quickly disputed. Tatiana’s brother, Jack Schlossberg, wrote on X that microphones were muted during the conference call and that the decision was “not unanimous”. His claims were echoed by Ohio Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board.

“For the record, this was not unanimous,” Beatty wrote. “I was muted on the call and not allowed to speak or voice my opposition to this move. This was not on the agenda. This was not consensus. This is censorship.”

Other members of the Kennedy family questioned the legality of the move. Joe Kennedy III said the centre was named by federal law and could not be renamed, comparing it to the Lincoln Memorial. “It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says,” he wrote.

The Kennedy family has not responded directly to Trump’s latest posts. In the hours following Tatiana’s death, relatives instead used social media to share tributes and messages of support.

Caroline Kennedy’s cousin, Maria Shriver, posted a lengthy message mourning Tatiana and praising the family’s efforts to support her during her illness. “I cannot make sense of this,” Shriver wrote. “My entire being is with Caroline now. What a rock she has been.”

Tatiana Schlossberg, a writer and environmental advocate, is survived by her husband, Dr George Moran, and their two young children, Edwin and Josephine.