RFK's Grandson Joe Kennedy III Says Trump Can't Rename the Kennedy Center 'No Matter What Anyone Says'

Another relative of the late President John F. Kennedy is speaking out against the newly voted upon name for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which was dedicated in 1964 as a "living memorial" for JFK.

After White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Thursday, Dec. 18, that the Kennedy Center board had "unanimously" voted to rename the institution the "Trump-Kennedy Center," Joe Kennedy III responded to her post on X.

"The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law," wrote Joe, 45, who is the grandson of former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

He added, "It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says."

Joe's statement echoed earlier remarks from his second cousin Jack Schlossberg, the only grandson of JFK, who argued on social media over the summer that renaming the Kennedy Center after President Donald Trump would violate federal law, which dictates how the arts organization should operate.

Schlossberg, 32, shared a screenshot of a federal statute stating that as of Dec. 2, 1983, "no additional memorials or plaques in the nature of memorials shall be designated or installed in the public areas of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts."

In the caption of his post, Schlossberg wrote, "Plain reading of the statute makes clear — YOU CAN'T DO THAT." On top of the screenshot, he added, "Law prohibits renaming Kennedy Center."

When Leavitt announced the plans to rename the Kennedy Center on Thursday, Schlossberg once again reacted on social media, where he contested the press secretary's claim that the decision had been reached unanimously.

In a separate Thursday post shared to Instagram, he said, "SEND ME TO CONGRESS TO SMOKE THESE FOOLS — MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR — I won’t back down or be drowned out."

Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio Kennedy Center board member, also accused the White House of lying about having unanimous support to rename the iconic building.

Beatty, 75, spoke out after Leavitt's announcement in a video the congressional leader posted to X on Thursday.

"Be clear: I was on that call, and as I tried to push my button to voice my concern, to ask questions and certainly not to vote in support of this, I was muted," Beatty said. "Each time I tried to speak, I was muted. Participants were not allowed to voice their concerns who were online, yet it was said at the end it was a unanimous vote."

She added, "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."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.  

Trump has often spoken about his plans to put his mark on the Kennedy Center, and made himself chairman almost right after he returned to office in January, boasting about eliminating so-called "woke" members of the board and installing a new group of MAGA devotees.

In July, Republican Rep. Bob Onder introduced the “Make Entertainment Great Again Act," proposing to rename the Center as the "Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts." The bill was never made into law.

One month later, while previewing the Kennedy Center Honors, Trump wrote on Truth Social, "GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS."