Threat of Kennedy Center demolition looms as renovation fight escalates
Justice Department lawyers argued that without President Donald Trump’s support for renovating the Kennedy Center, the building cannot be saved.
Officials at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have warned that the institution is nearing bankruptcy and could be forced to close as early as Tuesday, Sept. 15, according to multiple reports.
In documents obtained by The Washington Post and The New York Times, the Kennedy Center’s current leadership — which was installed by President Donald Trump — argued that the institution faces “certain fiscal collapse” unless the president’s name is added back to its facade. The warning appeared in a 57-page packet that was distributed to the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees ahead of a special meeting scheduled for Sept. 15.
The draft resolution claims that within a few weeks the institution will not be able to pay employees or meet maintenance costs, according to the Post. The draft resolution also says the center is at risk of bankruptcy, but Trump has “offered to step in and raise the necessary funds” to save the institution, the Times reported.
The draft resolution detailed 10 options for placing Trump’s name below the main signage on the front of the center, according to the Times.
“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 draft resolution states, the Times reported.
The Post was first to report the contents of the 57-page packet. USA TODAY reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment.
The Kennedy Center has been embroiled in political and legal disputes since Trump named himself chair at the start of his second term. Though the center’s board voted in December 2025 to add Trump’s name to the building, a federal judge later ordered the signage removed.
The board then voted in August to restore his name to the facade while advancing plans to close the center for a two-year renovation that is expected to exceed $250 million. But the move to put Trump’s name on the building remains tied up in court and has not taken effect.
The board’s decision came despite a federal judge previously ruling that the center’s official name cannot be changed without Congress. Government lawyers argue the new signage would recognize Trump’s role in renovating the building rather than formally renaming it.
Contributing: Mike Stunson, USA TODAY Network; Reuters