The Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees is considering 10 different ways to recognize President Donald Trump on the building’s facade as part of what it says is an effort to secure his fundraising prowess for the performing arts center’s renovation.
The options, outlined in a draft board resolution reviewed by The Washington Sun, would place language recognizing Trump on the exterior marble beneath the Kennedy Center’s name.
“The Board seeks to provide multiple options so that President Trump can be legally and appropriately recognized and acknowledged on the facade of the Kennedy Center so that he agrees to carry the burden of managing the renovation and provides the Center with a much required financial rescue,” the resolution reads.
The proposals range from relatively straightforward acknowledgements of Trump’s support to language crediting him with overseeing the center’s renovation and restoration.
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One option would read: “Renovation and endowment overseen by President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.” Another would say: “With Gratitude for Support from President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.”
Other proposals would credit Trump with directing or overseeing the renovation, while several would describe the center as being sustained through his “generosity.” One option reads, “A Legacy protected through the Generosity of President Donald J. Trump.”
The board’s draft resolution says the Kennedy Center is facing an imminent financial crisis and has exhausted its fiscal resources, putting its ability to meet payroll and routine maintenance obligations at risk within weeks.
Trump, according to the resolution, has offered to raise the money needed to keep the center from bankruptcy while it undergoes a major renovation.
The board says it believes Trump’s financial support is tied to giving him an appropriate public acknowledgement. The resolution says that without such recognition, Trump is unlikely to provide the oversight of the renovation or lead the center’s financial rescue.
The proposals come as a federal court prepares to consider an emergency motion from Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio member of the board, that seeks to block the Kennedy Center board from again adding Trump’s name to the building.
In December, after the president stocked the board with allies and made himself chairman, the trustees voted for the first time to rename the center after Trump. In August, the board voted once again to add the president’s name, this time opting to inscribe it into the marble facade after a federal judge ordered the previous signage had to be removed.
This week’s hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday, shortly before the board is set to meet and vote on resolutions concerning the center’s future, including possible closure and the proposed Trump recognitions.
The draft resolution says the board intends to pursue “all legal means” to carry out one or more of the proposed recognitions, subject to the board’s vote.
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