Without President's Name, Justice Department Warns Kennedy Center May Have To Be Demolished

WASHINGTON—Justice Department lawyers have warned that the Kennedy Center could eventually require demolition unless President Donald Trump’s name is allowed to appear somewhere on the building, establishing presidential branding as a form of structural support.

The filing describes the performing arts center as financially insolvent, physically unsafe, and headed toward ruin. After a court blocked the board’s first attempt to add Trump’s name to the facade, trustees proposed several alternatives: crediting the renovation to him beneath the building’s title, naming the renovation fund after him, or putting his name on the plaza. The structure may be crumbling, but the naming opportunities remain sound.

Internal financial projections obtained by The Washington Post complicate the treatment plan. Ticket sales and donations had already weakened after Trump took control of the center, then fell more sharply after his name went on the building in December. Officials budgeted about $220 million in revenue for the fiscal year and projected about $124 million by late May. Even after expense cuts, they expected a $23 million deficit.

The center says it inherited years of financial problems and that Trump’s name attracted renovation donors. Congress also provided $257 million for repairs. Government lawyers now argue that without the president’s fundraising ability and real estate experience, donor money could disappear and the building might eventually have to be replaced, possibly by an outdoor amphitheater.

The proposal is therefore to rescue the institution with more of the branding that preceded its decline. A judge will consider the new naming plan Thursday. The court can decide what goes on the building; audiences will continue deciding whether to go inside it.