According to a Washington Post (WP) report, ticket sales for performances held at the Kennedy Center have fallen to their lowest level in years after Donald Trump appointed himself chairman of the center earlier this year. 

WP’s recent analysis of the Kennedy Center’s ticket sales data from September 3 to October 19 found that around 43% of tickets for typical productions remained unsold. 

In comparison, 93% of tickets were sold or issued on a complimentary basis in the fall of 2024 and 80% in the fall of 2023. 

This data follows similar findings from the center’s ticket sales and subscription revenue obtained by the New York Times this June, which showed that the venue’s income had fallen by around 50% in the week following Trump’s takeover in February and subsequent turnover of the board and staff. 

The recent decline in sales has impacted three of the center’s major venues: the Opera House, the Concert Hall, and the Eisenhower Theater. 

As WP explains, other factors contributing to decreased ticket sales at the Kennedy Center have included a drop in Broadway ticket sales and the Trump administration’s recent national guard deployment in Washington, which has affected “both tourism and nightlife” in the area.

Further, many former Kennedy Center patrons have pledged to boycott the institution while Trump serves as chair, and have been joined by performers including some cast members of Les Misérables, who withdrew from a performance in May at the center in protest of Trump’s planned attendance. The hit musical Hamilton also canceled a series of performances at the venue. 

“Depressed ticket sales not only cause a shortfall in revenue; they also bode unfavorably for future fundraising revenue,” Michael Kaiser, who was president of the Kennedy Center from 2001 to 2014, told WP. “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.”