The Kennedy Center's board has warned of "certain financial collapse" within weeks, suggesting that restoring Donald Trump's name to the arts institution may be the only way to secure his help in leading a financial rescue. A draft board resolution says the centre cannot meet payroll or maintenance costs, and links this crisis to acknowledging Trump, its chairman, for offering to raise funds during renovations. Critics say the move effectively holds the centre hostage, tying its survival to Trump's self-promotion.

The draft resolutions emerged in court documents filed by lawyers for Rep. Joyce Beatty, who opposes efforts to add Trump's name to the venue. A federal judge ruled in May that the board had exceeded its authority in naming the centre after Trump and ordered his name removed, but the board has since voted to reinstate it in up to three locations, including a plaza designation and inscriptions tied to a $100 million endowment threshold. The board is also set to vote on closing the complex, following a ceiling leak, with a court hearing on the closure plan scheduled for Tuesday.