A new report that President Donald Trump's attempted takeover of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has pushed the institution toward bankruptcy was met with disgust Sunday night.
The Washington Post reported that the Kennedy Center could close as early as Tuesday because it cannot meet its payroll and maintenance obligations. The center said in a 57-page packet distributed to its board of trustees that affixing Trump's name to the building may be the only way to save it from closure.
"The presentation makes clear that Trump’s support hinges on getting public credit for his involvement," the report reads in part. "The financial resolution says Trump has offered to 'raise the necessary funds to keep the Center from bankruptcy' while the building undergoes a sweeping renovation. But it says Trump is unlikely to provide 'fundamental oversight' of that project or lead a financial rescue without 'appropriate recognition' of his role."
The report disgusted some political analysts, who shared their reactions on social media.
"Who knew that defacing the building, tearing up its trees, removing its sculptures, replacing the Board with political cronies, giving the finger to every performer who isn’t a Trump voter, and talking down its facilities daily would cause a revenue drop?" Seth Abramson, an attorney and Trump biographer, posted on X.
"Let’s be clear: this was a mafia-like MAGA *hit* on a congressionally controlled building honoring a slain Democratic POTUS," Abramson added.
"Nearly every institution Trump touches goes bankrupt," Dan Weiss, a clean energy advocacy expert, posted on X.
"Not to be forgotten is that the Trump people threw out the chairman of the board who also was the biggest donor," Kevin Kosar, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, posted on X.
"This is a dumb (sic)," Christina Henderson, a Washington, D.C. councilmember, posted on X. "Adding his name won’t bring back the artists nor the patrons."