Ticket Sales at the Kennedy Center Decline Following Trump Takeover

Data leaked by an employee at the Center shows a drop from $4.4 million to a projected $2.7 million this coming financial year

Data on ticket sales and subscription revenue from The Kennedy Center, which was obtained by the New York Times (NYT), shows that the Center's income has fallen sharply since President Trump appointed himself chairman in February of 2025.

Total subscription revenue for the Center is projected to be $2.7 million in the coming fiscal year, which stands in stark contrast to the $4.4 million from this year.

Single-ticket sales in April and May of 2025 were approximately 50% lower than they were for the equivalent period in 2024, according to the data. Subscriptions were faring worse, with reductions in revenue falling as much as 82% (for theater performances) and 57% (for dance performances).

The numbers were not quite so dire for the Center's classical music offerings, though they still conformed to the general trend: for the National Symphony Orchestra, subscriptions dropped by 28%, and there was a 25% decrease in subscriptions at the Washington National Opera.

The data, which is confidential, was passed on to both the NYT and the Washington Post by a Center employee on the condition of anonymity.

"We understand providing information like this can be seen in a bad light," that employee told the Washington Post. "But we feel that it is necessary to show that mismanagement by the new leadership is becoming a real problem for the health of the organization."

"We feel that we no longer have a choice but to force complete transparency with the public," the employee added, noting that staffers at the Center have recently been ignored or sacked for stating their opinions.

Kennedy Center Senior Vice President of Marketing Kim Cooper defended the Center's approach, saying that alterations to the Center's communications and marketing strategy were what had produced the lower numbers.

"Our renewal campaign is just kicking off and our hard-copy season brochures have not yet hit homes," Cooper said. "Our patrons wait for our new season brochures and renewal campaigns to take action."

"We know [that soon-to-be-announced programming] will have strong appeal across all audiences."