Trump admin calls court block on Kennedy Center repairs 'existential' threat
Justice Department lawyers said the venue could face collapse and lose donors unless Trump is publicly recognized, citing $257 million in approved funding.
- On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice told the D.C. Circuit Court that the Kennedy Center faces "financial ruin" without "appropriate recognition" for President Donald Trump, warning that donors will flee.
- Following a leadership change, the Trump-controlled Kennedy Center board attempted to rename the venue and shutter it for two years, amid a projected $23 million deficit under the new administration.
- District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in May that the Kennedy Center may only be named for Kennedy, siding with Rep. Joyce Beatty, who challenged the board's efforts to reinstall Trump's name.
- On Monday, Republican Sen. Mike Lee blocked bipartisan legislation from Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley and Lisa Murkowski intended to prevent administration demolition of the building.
- Facing projected losses of around $100 million annually, the Kennedy Center recently relied on a $17 million infusion raised by Trump to continue paying its bills.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Trump Ran the Kennedy Center Into the Ground
“In the 19 months since President Trump took over the Kennedy Center, the institution has borrowed everything its bank would lend it, dipped into money donors had given on condition it never be spent, and written off pledges from supporters who stopped paying,” the Washington Post reports. “Trump said the center was ‘losing hundreds of […]
Kennedy Center 'in free fall' as Trump allies max out credit and spend opera funds: WaPo
President Donald Trump took control of the Kennedy Center 19 months ago. Since then, the center has used up nearly every financial cushion it had, and one arts management expert says it now appears to be "in free fall."The Washington Post reviewed confidential board documents and tax filings that show the center's Trump-appointed leadership has borrowed the full amount of its bank credit line and taken money from an endowment that donors meant t…
Maxed Credit And Stolen Opera Funds; Kennedy Center Is 'In Free Fall' Thanks To Trump
It's been more than a year and a half since Donald Trump seized control of the beloved Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and, with credit lines maxed, donor monies stolen, and every financial cushion the venue had dried up, one arts manager is now describing the once-revered entity as "in free fall." The news hails from a bombshell new Washington Post report, in which the outlet reviewed a trove of confidential board documents and tax fili…
DOJ Says Trump Name Is Key To Kennedy Center Survival
The U.S. Department of Justice told the D.C. Circuit the Kennedy Center's donors will flee if his name isn't put back on the building, arguing in its opening brief to the appeals court that the institution faces "financial ruin" without "appropriate recognition" for Trump.
Trump Team Claims $17M Emergency Cash Infusion Was Only Thing Keeping Kennedy Center Afloat — Warns Landmark Could 'Collapse,' According to Court Docs
Trump's team claims a $17million emergency cash infusion helped keep the Kennedy Center afloat as a new court filing warns of financial and physical 'collapse.'
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