After Trump Takeover, Kennedy Center Ticket Sales Plunge 50%

In the eight months since President Donald Trump took over the Kennedy Center, ticket sales have plummeted by nearly 50%, Kelly Rissman reported for The Independent.

Tens of thousands of seats have been left vacant at the Kennedy Center’s three largest performance venues. (Photo: The Kennedy Center)

Just weeks after reclaiming the White House, Trump fired members of the Kennedy Center’s board and appointed replacements while installing himself as chairman.

Since then, tens of thousands of seats have been left vacant at the Kennedy Center’s three largest performance venues.

From September 3 through October 19, at the Opera House, the Concert Hall, and the Eisenhower Theater, 43% of tickets remained unsold, according to Washington Post reporters Travis Andrews, Jeremy B. Merrill, and Shelly Tan. In 2024, 93% of tickets were sold during the same period; in 2023, 80% were sold.

Nearly nine months after Trump became chair of the center, ticket sales for the three largest performance venues are the worst they have been in years, according to The Washington Post analysis of ticketing data from dozens of recent shows and past seasons.

Tens of thousands of seats have remained empty, and sold tickets likely include those distributed for free to Kennedy Center staff or members of the media.

Overall, the center could have sold tickets for roughly 143,000 seats during this period, but more than 50,000 remained vacant.