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Donald Trump slammed for 'despicable' posts about Kennedy family hours after JFK's granddaughter dies of cancer aged 35
US President Donald Trump took aim at the Kennedy family on Tuesday evening as he shared a string of mocking posts criticizing the family just hours after they confirmed the death of Tatiana Schlossberg.
Tatiana, the daughter of Caroline Kennedy and granddaughter of the late President John F Kennedy, died after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, with her family announcing the news on social media.
“Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts," read the post, which was signed by "George, Edwin and Josephine Moran, Ed, Caroline, Jack, Rose and Rory." The announcement prompted an outpouring of support and tributes online.
Yet while the Kennedys were understandably grieving, Trump offered them no grace as he took to Truth Social to reel off several damning posts hitting out at the family. Many critics condemned the timing of the president’s comments given the personal loss the Kennedys were facing.
Row over the name change of the Kennedy Center
The president has been at odds with the Kennedy family for several weeks. Things escalated in recent days after Trump formally renamed the Kennedy Center, a historic performance venue in Washington, D.C., to the Trump-Kennedy Center.
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Originally, the centre had been named after the former president as a memorial to JFK following his assassination in Dallas, Texas, in 1963. "The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law," wrote Joe Kennedy III, the grandson of former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. "It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says."
It seemed to be this row over names that the president was referencing on Tuesday when he reposted a number of damning remarks from his followers. One post read: "The Kennedy Family have LONG neglected the Kennedy Center, btw. They don’t raise money for it. They never show up. And the only Kennedy who has been there recently is a member of Trump’s cabinet." Another post stated: "The Trumps have always been supporters of the arts. The Kennedys are supporters of the Kennedys."
Critics slam the timing of the posts
Although Trump didn’t specifically mention Tatiana in his onslaught of posts, many users found the timing to be in poor taste, given the tragedy the family were facing. An X account with the username @DisavowTrump20 referred to Trump’s posts about the Kennedy family as “despicable”.
In full, they wrote: “Just hours after Caroline Kennedy’s daughter, Tatiana Schlossberg, tragically died, Donald Trump has launched a series of social media attacks against her family. RETWEET if you stand with @CarolineKennedy against these despicable attacks! “
Despite the attack, the Kennedys have yet to respond to the remarks, with most of their social media posts on Tuesday simply paying tribute to their beloved family member. Caroline Kennedy’s cousin, Maria Shriver, wrote a long tribute to Tatiana that reflected on her love of life and the support of family.
"I return to this space today to pay tribute to my sweet, beloved Tatiana, who left this earth today. I return to this space to pay tribute and honor her loving and supportive family, who came together and did everything they possibly could do to help her. I return to this space heartbroken because Tatiana loved life. She loved her life, and she fought like hell to try to save it. I cannot make sense of this. I cannot make any sense of it at all. None. Zero," Shriver wrote. "My heart has always been with my cousin Caroline ever since we were little kids. My entire being is with her now. What a rock she has been."
She added: "Those of us left behind will make sure Eddie and Josie know what a beautiful, courageous spirit their mother was and will always be. She takes after her extraordinary mother, Caroline. May we all hold Tatiana’s family in our collective embrace not just today, but in the days ahead, and may each of you who read this know how lucky you are to be alive right now. Please pause and honor your life. It truly is such a gift."