Kennedy Centre faces bankruptcy, but Trump’s name on it might save the day
Leaders of the Kennedy Centre who have sought to add United States President Donald Trump’s name to the institution say it is facing bankruptcy and possible closure within days, the Washington Post reported.
According to documents obtained by the paper, the centre’s board of trustees is expected to vote on Wednesday on whether to close the main building of Washington’s performing arts centre, due to financial and safety needs.
Officials warn in the documents that the centre “could be unable to make payroll or pay routine maintenance contracts” within weeks, the Post reported.
Publicly recognising Trump at the centre, they argue in the 57-page pre-meeting papers, would help ensure fundraising to keep it afloat.
The Post reported: “Trustees are being asked to choose among 10 texts that could be placed on the building’s exterior beneath its name”.
They include publicly crediting Trump with the renovation, the Post reported.
Shortly after beginning his second term, Trump installed himself as chairman of the centre, which is named in honour of late President John F. Kennedy, who championed civil rights before he was assassinated in 1963.
In December, Trump’s hand-picked board voted to rename it the Trump-Kennedy centre, a move that was later blocked in court.
A host of artists cancelled concerts at the venue in response to Trump’s takeover and US media reported that Kennedy Centre ticket sales had plummeted to their lowest levels since the Covid pandemic.
The Post reported that the centre was slated to collect about US$124 million ($213.7m) of the projected US$220m in revenue that it had budgeted, “leaving a roughly US$23 million deficit even after substantial spending cuts” this past financial year.
Additionally, the building itself was damaged in a severe storm this month, when a large section of ceiling plaster broke loose in the Grand Foyer and fell about 20m, among other needed repairs.
Asked about the Post’s reporting, the Kennedy Centre declined to comment and referred AFP to a recent statement from spokesperson Roma Daravi blaming “decades of neglect and deferred maintenance by the previous leadership”.
A spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP: “Adding Chairman President Trump’s name to the building attracted new donors and was crucial to raising additional funds for the Centre’s renovation”.
- AFP
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