WASHINGTON — Officials at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts say the iconic institution faces potential bankruptcy in a matter of weeks, and that President Donald Trump won't lead its "fiscal rescue" unless his name is added to the institution's facade to recognize his efforts.
A resolution prepared for the Kennedy Center's board of trustees ‒ to be voted on at its Tuesday, Sept. 15 meeting ‒ proposes 10 different wordings and phrases to recognize Trump's financial support for the center with an inscription below the center's main exterior sign.
The resolution, drafted by Trump officials aligned with the White House, says the center can no longer complete payroll obligations or fulfill routine maintenance contracts and faces "certain
fiscal collapse within weeks." It says Trump has "offered to step in and raise the necessary funds to keep the Center from bankruptcy during its much needed renovation."
But in return, Trump wants his name on the building, according to the resolution.
"The Board understands that without such appropriate recognition it is unlikely that President Trump will provide the fundamental oversight of the renovation of the main building and lead the fiscal rescue of the Center," the resolution returns.
The resolution was made public in a Sept. 14 court filing by attorneys for Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, a member of the board and the plaintiff who sued Trump administration over the attempted renaming of the Kennedy Center to honor Trump.
Kennedy Center faces potential closure
A separate resolution, also publicized in the filing, would immediately close the Kennedy Center as it undergoes renovations for the next two years, advancing a closure plan the board approved in August. Kennedy Center officials argue the poor condition of the aging building has made the center "unsafe for continued occupancy."
Beatty's lawyers alerted the court to the resolutions, arguing they implicate their pending request for U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper to halt the inscription of Trump's name and attempted closure based on a prior order from the judge. A court hearing is set for Tuesday morning, hours before the Kennedy Center board meets.
Cooper in May ordered the removal of Trump's name from the center's title, signage and branding. He also blocked the board's March vote to close the center for two years for renovations, arguing the action lacked serious consideration by the board.
In that order, Cooper ruled the board violated the 1964 federal law that created the center in honor of President John F. Kennedy, arguing that the statute makes clear "the Kennedy Center must be named for, and is meant to honor, President Kennedy alone." Congressional approval would be required to change the name, the judge said.
The planned inscription of Trump's name is an attempt to work around Cooper's order by leaving the president's name out of the title.
The Kennedy Center on June 13 complied with the judge's directive to remove Trump's name from the building's sign, but not until hours after a court deadline passed. The center's Trump-aligned staff left up a massive tarp that prevents the public from seeing the sign without Trump's name. The tarp remains over the facade of the center.
To close the Kennedy Center enter while still complying with the judge's order, the board is now citing an outside consulting group that identified flaws with the condition of the building.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kennedy Center says Trump's name must be added to avoid bankruptcy
