Greg Werkheiser
Role at the time: Founding partner of Cultural Heritage Partners and attorney for the eight plaintiff organizations in D.C. Preservation League v. Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, speaking at a press briefing for reporters
Statement summary
At a press briefing on September 17, 2026, Greg Werkheiser, an attorney for eight preservation organizations suing over the Kennedy Center, said that President Trump, if he has the capacity to raise money the center needs, is legally obligated to raise it or step aside, according to ARTnews. ARTnews also reported that he characterized the president's position on repairs and fundraising without his name on the building as a "hostage-taking" situation. The quotation begins mid-sentence; "he" refers to Trump, per ARTnews.
“he is legally obligated—if he has the capacity to raise money and they need it, he must raise that money or step aside.”
Why we used this label
Speaking as the plaintiffs' counsel two days later, Werkheiser said Trump is legally obligated to raise the money the center needs or step aside, and ARTnews reported that he characterized the position as a "hostage-taking" situation, which expressly rejects tying the work to recognition. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”, because the quoted sentence contains an "if he has the capacity" clause. That loses because the clause defines the scope of the duty he asserts and does not make his rejection of the condition depend on anything unresolved.