Officials at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have warned in a draft resolution that the institution faces "certain fiscal collapse within weeks" unless President Trump’s name is added back to the building. The warning, shared ahead of a board meeting, states that without such recognition, Trump is unlikely to provide oversight of renovations or lead a fiscal rescue.

The draft resolution presents 10 options for adding Trump’s name below the main signage, including phrases like "renovated, restored, and sustained through the generosity of President Donald J. Trump." Judge Christopher R. Cooper previously ruled the name must be removed because Congress did not approve the renaming as the "Trump-Kennedy Center," though he temporarily blocked a planned two-year closure for renovation.

Board members, including Trump ally Paolo Zampolli, argue the name is critical to attracting funds, saying "Trattracts money." Representative Joyce Beatty, a Democratic board member, has objected, calling the effort a "childish refusal" to comply with the court order and a "vanity project for one man’s ego." Her lawyers, Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky, described the documents as "the third attempt to deface this sacred memorial." Kennedy Center spokeswoman Roma Daravi declined to comment. The center complied with the name removal while pursuing an appeal, but recent efforts aim to restore Trump’s name in an inscription beneath the building’s title. Some donors and artists have left due to the politicization of the institution.