Reports: Kennedy Center warns of bankruptcy unless Trump’s name returns

Nathan Howard/Reuters

Officials at the Kennedy Center warn it faces “certain fiscal collapse” within weeks unless President Donald Trump’s name is added back to the building, according to documents obtained by The New York Times and The Washington Post .

The warning appears in a draft resolution circulated to the performing arts center’s board of trustees ahead of a special meeting Tuesday, the outlets reported. The center says it could be unable to make payroll or pay routine maintenance contracts within weeks and risks bankruptcy, according to the documents.

Trump has offered to raise the money needed to keep it afloat – but only with “appropriate recognition” of his role, without which he is unlikely to lead the rescue or oversee a planned renovation, the resolution says, according to the two outlets.

CNN has reached out to the Kennedy Center and the White House for comment.

“Trump attracts money,” board member and longtime Trump ally Paolo Zampolli told the Times. “So when Trump says donate to this place, everyone will donate.”

The claim is the latest turn in Trump’s takeover of the national arts institution, which has been mired in financial turmoil, leadership churn and litigation since he installed loyalists to the board, who then elected him chairman last year. The change led to artists pulling out of planned events at the venue and a drop in ticket sales .

Since then, Trump has sought to put his stamp on the institution, adding his name to the building’s exterior in December, prompting a lawsuit challenging the legality of the change and a ruling from a judge that his name must be removed. The lettering was taken down in June.

In August, the center voted once again to add Trump’s name on the building and close for a yearslong renovation, court filings show.

Adding to the financial turmoil, the center previously argued in court filings it would have to return millions of dollars in private donations it had already received if Trump’s name wasn’t on the building’s facade, citing the center’s bylaws.

“All of this money, hundreds of millions of dollars, will have to be immediately returned, or not received by the Center,” the department told an appeals court.

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Trump administration threatens to demolish Kennedy Center if renovations aren’t allowed

According to the documents provided to the board ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, trustees are being asked to choose among 10 inscriptions to place beneath the building’s name, the Post reported. One reads: “Renovation Restoration and Endowment overseen by President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.” The Times reported similar options, including language crediting “the generosity of President Donald J. Trump.”

Trustees are also being asked to close the center’s main building immediately, the Post reported, citing a September 4 incident in which a section of ceiling plaster fell about 60 feet in the Grand Foyer. Management has deemed the building “unsafe for continued occupancy,” the Post reported.

No one was hurt, but the administration has used it to bolster its argument in court that renovations are needed.

Lawyers for the venue have argued that if the current building cannot undergo extensive renovations, the center “ will deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure that will be required to be taken down.”

In April, Kennedy Center officials gave CNN and other news outlets a tour of the building, showing the boiler room, behind the stages, through the parking garages, and the HVAC system to provide evidence of the need for the renovations.

内森·霍华德/路透社

据《纽约时报》和《华盛顿邮报》获得的文件显示，肯尼迪中心官员警告称，除非将唐纳德·特朗普总统的名字重新添加到该建筑上，否则该中心将在几周内面临“财政崩溃”。

据媒体报道，一份在周二特别会议召开前分发给表演艺术中心理事会的决议草案中出现了这一警告。文件显示，该中心表示，未来几周内可能无法支付员工工资或日常维护合同款项，并面临破产风险。

据两家媒体报道，决议称，特朗普已提出筹集维持该项目运转所需的资金，但前提是必须“适当认可”他的作用，否则他不太可能领导救援行动或监督计划中的翻新工程。

CNN已联系肯尼迪中心和白宫寻求置评。

“特朗普能吸引资金，”董事会成员兼特朗普长期盟友保罗·赞波利告诉《泰晤士报》，“所以当特朗普说要捐款给这个地方时，每个人都会捐款。”

这一指控是特朗普接管这家国家艺术机构的最新进展。自他安插亲信进入董事会，并于去年选举他担任主席以来，该机构一直深陷财务困境、领导层更迭和诉讼缠身之中。这一变动导致艺术家取消了在该场馆举办的演出，门票销售额也大幅下降。

此后，特朗普一直试图在该机构留下自己的印记，于去年12月将自己的名字添加到大楼外墙上，此举引发了一场质疑其合法性的诉讼，最终法官裁定必须移除他的名字。这些字样已于今年6月被移除。

法庭文件显示，今年 8 月，该中心再次投票决定在建筑物上加上特朗普的名字，并关闭进行长达数年的翻新。

雪上加霜的是，该中心此前在法庭文件中辩称，如果特朗普的名字没有出现在建筑物的正面，根据该中心的章程，它将不得不退还已经收到的数百万美元私人捐款。

“所有这些资金，数亿美元，都必须立即退还，否则中心将无法收到，”该部门向上诉法院表示。

凯文·拉马克/路透社

特朗普政府威胁称，如果肯尼迪中心不进行翻修，将将其拆除。

据《华盛顿邮报》报道，根据周二会议前提交给董事会的文件，受托人被要求从10个铭文中选择一个刻在建筑物的名称下方。其中一个铭文写道：“由唐纳德·J·特朗普总统和特朗普肯尼迪中心基金会监督翻新、修复和捐赠。”《纽约时报》报道了类似的选项，包括感谢“唐纳德·J·特朗普总统的慷慨捐赠”的表述。

据《华盛顿邮报》报道，受托人还被要求立即关闭该中心的主楼，原因是9月4日大厅天花板的石膏板从约60英尺（约18米）高处坠落。报道称，管理层已认定该建筑“不安全，不宜继续使用”。

虽然无人受伤，但政府利用此事在法庭上加强了其关于需要进行翻修的论点。

该场馆的律师辩称，如果目前的建筑物不能进行大规模翻新，该中心“将进一步恶化成一个不安全、破败的建筑，最终将被拆除”。

今年四月，肯尼迪中心官员带领 CNN 和其他新闻媒体参观了这座建筑，展示了锅炉房、舞台后面、停车场和暖通空调系统，以证明翻新的必要性。