The fate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts reportedly hinges on whether Donald J. Trump’s name is added back to the building’s facade.
Officials from the Kennedy Center are warning that the national performing arts venue is facing “certain fiscal collapse” and could close as soon as Tuesday, according to documents first obtained by The Washington Post. The center’s board of trustees, which is chaired by President Trump and includes many of his close allies, argues that paying tribute to him may be the only way for the center to avoid bankruptcy.
The documents detail 10 different options for how Trump’s name could be added to the building’s facade again. For roughly six months, from December until June, Trump’s name appeared first on the building until a federal judge ruled earlier this year that only Congress could rename the center and ordered the newly added lettering to be removed.
Trump’s monomania about his name appearing on the building in some fashion has been a recurring theme of his second term—and his offer to “step in and raise the necessary funds” to save the center is seemingly contingent on getting credit for his involvement, as The New York Times reported.
“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,” according to a draft resolution obtained by the Times.A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Fast Company.
KENNEDY CENTER IN CRISIS
Though there are some free events scheduled at the Kennedy Center this week, The Washington Post reported that it could close as soon as Tuesday. That’s because officials are recommending that the board immediately shutter the center’s main building, warning of safety dangers after a severe storm reportedly caused damage earlier this month.
That the Kennedy Center, which opened on September 8, 1971, is now on the brink of bankruptcy and imminent closure is but the latest dire warning about its future. The Trump administration threatened last month that the center could face demolition unless a $250 million renovation project is carried out. And the center was reportedly already facing a projected $23 million deficit for 2026 before the latest documents indicated it is at risk of being unable to meet its upcoming payroll obligations.
Of course, there are also political undertones to the drama that’s embroiled the Kennedy Center in recent months, leading to declining ticket sales and a long list of canceled performances. Much of that stems from the Trump-installed board of trustees, which voted unanimously in December 2025 to have the president’s name added to the center’s official name.
That decision kicked off a legal firestorm that has yet to cool.
Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio and former Kennedy Center trustee, filed a lawsuit shortly thereafter to keep Trump’s name off the building. In May, Judge Christopher R. Cooper ruled that Trump’s name must be removed from the building—a decision that the Trump administration is currently appealing.
Beatty’s lawyers, Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky, said that Trump is effectively holding the Kennedy Center hostage and threatening to kill it unless he gets his way. “This constant effort to add Donald Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center facade is the definition of insanity,” they said in a statement to The Washington Post.
But Paolo Zampolli, a Kennedy Center board member and longtime Trump ally, told The New York Times that including the president’s name on the building is critical to its financial future. “Trump attracts money,” he told the outlet. “When Trump says donate to this place, everyone will.”
REENVISIONING D.C.
Despite an ongoing war in Iran and an affordability crisis at home, the president has been relentless about pursuing a variety of projects to reenvision the nation’s capitol—and that includes his planned renovations of the Kennedy Center, which potentially include new marble armrests.
Now, things seem to be playing out with the Kennedy Center just as Trump forewarned in May.
Following Judge Cooper’s decision that temporarily blocked the center from closing for renovations, the president went on Truth Social to blame the judge’s “total conflict of interest” for “why the Kennedy Center will soon be closed, probably never to open again.”Though he has not publicly commented on the latest developments with the Kennedy Center, Trump on Sunday shared renderings of the White House ballroom that he continues to claim won’t be taxpayer-funded despite reports to the contrary. He also shared photos of the White House, calling it a “dump!” and claiming that “more time without renovation” would have destroyed the building.
