Overview
- Kennedy Center Chief Operating Officer Charles Matthew Floca filed a declaration on Wednesday saying that stripping President Trump’s name would cut off “vital fundraising” and destabilize the center’s trust-funded programs.
- Floca’s court filing asserts Trump has already helped raise tens of millions and has committed to raise $150 billion for the center over the next two years, claims the judge will weigh against plaintiffs’ challenges.
- The declaration was submitted in the lawsuit Rep. Joyce Beatty brought in December 2025 that argues the board lacked authority to add Trump’s name and that only Congress can rename the Kennedy Center.
- Judge Christopher Cooper has required Beatty a meaningful chance to provide input and has pressed officials about whether a planned two-year closure for repairs is strictly necessary.
- If the court removes the name or blocks the shutdown, the center could face immediate fundraising and programming impacts including lost donor commitments, canceled events, and staffing disruptions.