Trump’s Kennedy Post After Tatiana Schlossberg Death Sparks Anger

As the Kennedy family was publicly mourning the death of Tatiana Schlossberg, President John F. Kennedy’s granddaughter, President Donald Trump chose that same day to amplify attacks against the Kennedys on social media. Schlossberg, a respected journalist and author, passed away at just 35 years old after a battle with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a rare and aggressive cancer she revealed in a deeply personal New Yorker essay in November 2025.

Her death came barely a month after she disclosed she had been given less than a year to live a diagnosis that followed shortly after the birth of her daughter in 2024. Medical experts note that the genetic mutation involved in her illness, AML with inversion 3, appears in fewer than two percent of cases, underscoring how rare and devastating her condition was.

Trump’s timing sparks backlash

Within hours of the family’s announcement, Trump reposted a string of screenshots from X (formerly Twitter) on his platform, Truth Social. The posts mocked the Kennedy family and criticized the Kennedy Center, which has become politically contentious following reports that its board voted to rename it the Trump–Kennedy Center. Several board members have since disputed the claim of unanimous approval.

Among the reposted messages were statements calling the Kennedy Center a “crumbling monument to liberal neglect,” praising Trump for supposedly “reviving” it, and dismissing the political relevance of the Kennedy family except for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now serving as Health and Human Services Secretary. Another post labeled the Kennedys as “Democratic Socialists rooting for America to fail.”

The optics of those posts, given the circumstances, triggered immediate outrage.

Public reaction: “Cruel and unnecessary”

CNN anchor Jake Tapper summed up the mood bluntly, writing that just hours after the family announced Schlossberg’s death, Trump chose to repost “social media garbage attacking the Kennedy family.”

Prominent Democratic voices echoed that sentiment. Progressive accounts with large followings described the posts as heartless, vindictive, and emblematic of a pattern many critics associate with Trump prioritizing political grudges over basic human decency, even during moments of personal tragedy.

One widely shared reaction noted that while the Kennedys were burying a daughter, wife, and mother, the president was engaged in culture-war theatrics. Others described the behavior as narcissistic and needlessly cruel.

A family and a legacy being remembered

Meanwhile, tributes to Tatiana Schlossberg poured in from across the political and cultural spectrum. In a joint family statement, her parents Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg, along with her siblings, husband, and extended family, wrote simply that she would “always be in our hearts.”

Her cousin Maria Shriver shared an emotional tribute, emphasizing Schlossberg’s love for life, her relentless fight against illness, and the family’s unity during her final months.

Artists and musicians have also responded by canceling upcoming performances at the Kennedy Center amid the naming controversy further highlighting how politicized a space meant to honor JFK’s cultural legacy has become.

Why this matters

This episode isn’t just about social media posts. It reflects a broader concern many Americans have raised repeatedly: whether empathy and restraint still have a place in political leadership. For critics, Trump’s actions reinforced a perception that even moments of grief are not off-limits when there’s a political point to score.

At a time when the country is deeply polarized, the passing of a young mother and writer might have been a moment for unity and respect. Instead, it became yet another flashpoint one that many believe says far more about Trump than it does about the Kennedy family.