Kennedy Center Earnings Crash After Trump Grabs Hold Of Iconic Arts Institution

Revenue at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has plummeted compared to the same period last year.

The new figures show a steep decline in subscription sales and come after U.S. President Donald Trump initiated a takeover and appointed himself chairman.

Data obtained by The Washington Post shows that sales have sharply declined by $1.6 million, which equates to 36%.

In June 2024, revenue from selling subscriptions to theater, dance, classical, and other seasons of performances was $4,413,147.

This is compared to $2,656,524 in generated revenue for the same period this year, with $155,243 from a new mix-and-match package.

The center offers subscriptions to a variety of performance seasons, including theater, dance, classical music, and other live events.

Subscribers can purchase full-season packages or opt for a new, flexible mix-and-match option introduced this year.

Former Kennedy staff members provided the sales data to The Post, and it was backed up by a current staffer.

“We understand providing information like this can be seen in a bad light,” the employee said.

“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.”

Some members of staff have been sacked for disagreeing with new leaders while opinions had been overlooked, the employee added.

They said it made them “feel that we no longer have a choice but to force complete transparency with the public.”

In February 2025, Trump orchestrated a sweeping leadership overhaul at the Kennedy Center, removing 18 board members—including longtime chairman David Rubenstein—and naming himself as the new chairman.

Many of those ousted had been appointed during the Biden administration. In their place, Trump installed several political allies, notably naming Richard Grenell as interim executive director.

Before the takeover, the Kennedy Center historically maintained a bipartisan board.

At a dinner for Kennedy Center board members in May, Trump said the previous leadership had spent millions of dollars.

“I don't know where they spent it,” he said. “They certainly didn’t spend it on wallpaper, carpet, or painting.”

Grenell also claimed new CFO Donna Arduin had found $26 million in fake revenue.

“The deferred maintenance of the Kennedy Center is criminal,” he said. “It has been terrible.”

“Our great new CFO went through the 24 and 25 budgets of the Kennedy Centre and found $26 million in phantom revenue—fake revenue.

“It’s criminal. We’re going to refer this to the U.S. attorney’s office.”

Grenell claimed it amounted to “fraud on previous donors” and said the board was now operating with full transparency.

“One thing we’re not going to do at the Kennedy Centre is inappropriate content for children, we’re going to protect children and make sure we are absolutely not losing money on our programming,” he added.

Former Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter, who was ousted by Trump, has strongly denied allegations of financial mismanagement.

“Perhaps those now in charge are facing significant financial gaps and are seeking to attribute them to past management, which would include the Board of Trustees, some of whom were appointed by President Trump, in his previous term,” she said.

“This malicious attempt to distort the facts, which were consistently, transparently, and readily available in professionally audited financial reports, recklessly disregards the truth.

“I stand by my assertion that at the time of my departure, the Kennedy Center was fiscally sound, on track to balance its budget for the year, and positioned to grow its endowment significantly while serving as a beacon for free artistic expression and a place where everyone could belong.”

Trump had accused the center of hosting drag shows and other performances he deemed “anti-American propaganda” and vowed a golden age of arts and culture.

But The Post's data shows arts enthusiasts have other plans, as theater subscription sales have been hit the hardest.

Revenue was down 82% through the first two weeks of the subscription campaign. Last year, the center generated $1,226,344 in revenue during the same period.

That total came from selling 1,771 subscriptions, compared to just 371 subscriptions and $224,059 in revenue this year.

That is a drop of more than $1 million.

The New York Times also reported that in April and May, single-ticket sales dropped 50% compared with the same period last year.

“Ticket buyers, subscribers, and donors have spoken with their wallets,” the staffer told The Post. “Not against a Republican being in charge, but against the hostile takeover of their performing arts center.”

Several cast members are also reportedly boycotting Trump, with about 12 performers refusing to go onstage for the opening night performance of Les Misérables on June 11.

The Kennedy Center’s board of trustees is holding a fundraiser on the same night, with Trump headlining a VIP reception before Les Mis.

The opening night of Les Mis and the first two weeks of performances have sold out, generating $3 million in box office ticket sales, according to Fox News.

And employees aren’t the only ones boycotting Trump. Several artists and performers have canceled scheduled performances at the center in protest of Trump’s takeover.

Most notable was the cancellation of Hamilton, alongside the opera Fellow Travelers and the play Eureka Day.