Kennedy Center On Verge Of ‘Certain Fiscal Collapse’

Reps for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts sounded the alarm that the center is on the brink of “certain fiscal collapse” if immediate action is not taken.

The organization’s current financial challenges were documented as part of a 57-page packet distributed to the center’s board of trustees ahead of a special meeting Tuesday, The Washington Post reported on Sunday. Several items were presented as potential solutions, including putting President Donald Trump’s name on the building to aid with fundraising efforts.

The document also suggested closing the main building immediately due to structural concerns that could affect the safety of any visitors. 

The document states that adding a line to the exterior of the building that says, “Renovation Restoration and Endowment overseen by President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Kennedy Center Fund” would be a great way to “raise the necessary funds to keep the Center from bankruptcy.”

Failure to take decisive action could mean the center would be unable to make payroll and pay maintenance contracts within “a matter of weeks.” The center would make about $124 million of the $220 million budgeted for the fiscal year, according to the document. Taking into account major spending cuts, this left an estimated deficit of $23 million.

The report comes on the heels of much upheaval at the center. The president made the recommendation in February to completely close the center for two years, instead of keeping it partially open to undergo renovations.

“[I]f we don’t close, the quality of Construction will not be nearly as good, and the time to completion, because of interruptions with Audiences from the many Events using the Facility, will be much longer. The temporary closure will produce a much faster and higher quality result!” the president wrote on Truth Social at the time.

The board approved the plan in March, but U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who ruled in May that only Congress can rename the Kennedy Center and ordered Trump’s name removed, blocked the building’s closure. 

Current executive director Matt Floca told trustees that a severe storm on September 4 caused a large section of ceiling plaster to detach and fall across the floor. There were no injuries, but other vulnerable areas of the building were detected, prompting a renewed call for the building to be closed immediately. 

The center’s lineup has undergone significant changes since Trump reformed the center’s board. The changes have caused some backlash among entertainers and participants, while others have announced an end to performances at the center. In January, the Washington National Opera announced that it would stop performing at the center after an “amicable transition” away. Other acts have canceled planned performances over the last several months as a form of protest.

Roma Daravi, a spokeswoman for the Trump-Kennedy Center, told The Daily Wire in January that the center aims for unity and celebration of the arts.

“We have no place for politics in the arts, and those calling for boycotts based on politics are making the wrong decision,” Daravi said. “We have not canceled a single show. Leftist activists are pushing artists to cancel but the public wants artists to perform and create — not cancel under pressure from political insiders that benefit from creating division.”

If the main building did close for renovations, another newer section called The Reach would remain open, and scheduled performances would take place at other locations.

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