President Donald Trump’s MAGA takeover of the Kennedy Center is showing cracks. The once-prestigious performing arts venue has already seen artists withdraw, and now ticket sales are dropping.
“We had spent way too much on programming that doesn’t bring in any revenue,” Richard Grenell, a Trump ally and former ambassador to Germany, told the Washington Reporter in March, blaming the center’s previous leadership for being “too woke.” He was appointed interim executive director and tasked with overhauling the Washington institution.
“We’re going to save the Kennedy Center. We’re going to make it incredible,” Trump added in June. “It’s got great sound. The bones are very good.”
The numbers tell a different story. More than a month into the new season, tens of thousands of seats across the Kennedy Center’s three largest venues have gone unsold. Between Sept. 3 and Oct. 19, roughly 50,000 seats remained empty—about 43% of total capacity—according to an analysis from The Washington Post. A year ago, just 7% of tickets were left unsold during the same period. In 2023, it was 20%.
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“Ticket sales for the Kennedy Center’s three largest performance venues are the worst they’ve been in years,” the Post found. “Unfilled seats are now a regular feature of Washington’s national center for the performing arts.”
The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to Daily Kos’ request for comment.
The slump comes nearly nine months after Trump installed himself as chair of the Kennedy Center board, breaking decades of precedent by turning a nonpartisan arts institution into a political showcase. And the signs of trouble were visible early on: In June, The New York Times found that single-ticket sales for April and May were down roughly 50% compared to the same period in 2024.
Under Trump and Grenell, the center has taken on a distinctly conservative edge, including a wave of “Christian programming” that’s often free to the public. That shift has alienated many of the center’s traditional audiences and artists. Popular shows like “Hamilton” have pulled out, several performers have severed ties, and longtime programming executives have resigned or been pushed out.
Remaining staff members say the center now feels chaotic and adrift. One former employee told the Post the backlash to Trump’s leadership hit harder than even the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These numbers are likely more dire than they appear,” the person said, noting that they don’t account for canceled productions or shows quietly moved into smaller theaters due to weak demand.
A current staff member agreed, saying the problem goes beyond programming and has impacted the venue’s overall status.
“This downturn isn’t just about pricing or scheduling,” they said, speaking anonymously for fear of retaliation. “It feels directly tied to the new regime’s leadership shift and the broader political climate. I’ve heard from ticket buyers who say they’re choosing not to attend because of what the Kennedy Center now represents. The brand itself has become polarizing, which is unprecedented in my experience.”
Grenell has continued to blame the center’s previous management for overspending and debt. But the Post found that the new team’s decisions are bleeding revenue at a faster rate. With so many seats empty, the center has left more than $1 million in potential ticket sales on the table—just 45 days into the season.
Michael Kaiser, who served as Kennedy Center president from 2001 to 2014, said the financial fallout could worsen if donors follow audiences out the door.
“Depressed ticket sales not only cause a shortfall in revenue; they also bode unfavorably for future fundraising,” he told the paper. “The vast majority of donors are ticket buyers who are anxious to enhance their relationships with the organization by making contributions in addition to paying for their tickets. We had 40,000 generous individual donors by the time I left the Center in 2014. Funding from these individuals formed the foundation for all we accomplished.”
In the meantime, the Kennedy Center appears to be papering over its attendance problem by giving away an increasing number of free tickets, or “comps,” to staff, press, and guests. Several employees said they’ve received far more passes than in previous years—a sign, they believe, of desperation.
“All in all, it is not a sustainable situation,” one said.
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Before Trump’s intervention, “swaths of empty seats were an unusual sight” in the center’s major halls, according to the Post. Now, rows of red velvet chairs sit empty night after night—a stark symbol of the center’s fading prestige.
For an institution built in the wake of a president’s assassination and meant to represent national unity and culture, the Kennedy Center is now mirroring Trump’s Washington instead: divided, politicized, and losing the gravitas it once commanded.
