Trump offers help if involvement is acknowledged, Post reports
Leaders of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts say the institution is on the brink of bankruptcy and could close as early as Tuesday, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.
A report prepared by the center’s trustees claimed that within a few weeks the institution will not be able to pay employees or meet maintenance costs, according to the Post. The report was prepared in advance of a meeting that is scheduled for Tuesday.
The center’s Trump-installed leaders argued that putting the president’s name on its facade may be the only way to avoid imminent and “certain fiscal collapse,” according to the Post, which cited documents it obtained. The Post also reported that Trump will help the Kennedy Center if his involvement is acknowledged. The Post additionally noted that Trump’s involvement with the Kennedy Center, which included the addition of his name to the building, impaired fundraising work and ticket sales.
The trustees’ report represents “a remarkable new phase in Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center, which has been engulfed by financial turmoil, leadership upheaval and litigation since he installed himself as chairman” in February 2025, the Post reported.
The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the Guardian reported.
A judge in May ruled that the addition of Trump’s name to the center’s facade was illegal — and therefore it needed to be removed. Trump’s name was then removed in June after a judge rejected an emergency appeal blocking the removal.