Stunning new data reveals extent of Kennedy Center collapse after MAGA takeover

The Kennedy Center's revenue collapse since President Donald Trump took over the famed performing arts venue and stacked the board with his loyalists has been more extensive than anyone knew.

Already, reports have abounded about canceled bookings, a dropoff in donations, and stars like legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma dropping out of performances ever since Trump vowed to remake the Kennedy Center into a MAGA bastion. But, The New York Times now has some hard numbers to go with the reporting, and those numbers are staggering.

"Single-ticket sales were down roughly 50 percent in April and May, compared with the same period in 2024, according to the data. Subscriptions, traditionally an important source of revenue, have also declined significantly this season: Revenue was down 82 percent for theater and 57 percent for dance," reported Javier C. Hernández. "At the National Symphony Orchestra, one of the Kennedy Center’s flagship ensembles, subscriptions declined by 28 percent, the data showed. At Washington National Opera, subscriptions were down 25 percent."

Indeed, overall subscription revenue "was projected at $2.7 million in the coming fiscal year, compared with $4.4 million this year," said the report, citing a confidential source within the organization.

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The Kennedy Center says these figures are misleading, because its subsciption marketing campaign began later than usual this year, with marketing official Kim Cooper saying, “Our renewal campaign is just kicking off and our hard-copy season brochures have not yet hit homes. Our patrons wait for our new season brochures and renewal campaigns to take action.”

Only 16 percent of the Kennedy Center's budget comes from the federal government, the report noted, meaning that the revenue from tickets and subscriptions is vital to operations.

All of this comes as the Kennedy Center is embroiled in a completely separate drama over the Trump administration having to fire a far-right staffer who proclaimed homosexuality is a "punishment" against the United States and pushed conspiracy theories about former President Barack Obama's birth certificate — an issue that ironically marked a major part of Trump's own political rise.