Kennedy Center reeling from 'stunning' ticket sales collapse after Trump takeover: report

A decision by Donald Trump to fire everyone and wrest control of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on the banks of the Potomac has led to an alarming downward spiral in ticket sales and artists canceling performances in protest.

After returning to the Oval Office, the president ousted the art institution’s leadership and packed the the board of trustees with loyalists before designating his proxy, Richard Grenell, to run the operation.

With the change, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt boasted, "The Kennedy Center learned the hard way that if you go woke, you will go broke. President Trump and the members of his newly-appointed board are devoted to rebuilding the Kennedy Center into a thriving and highly respected institution where all Americans, and visitors from around the world, can enjoy the arts with respect to America’s great history and traditions.”

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As the Washington Post reported on Saturday, the "go broke" part now appears to be a problem as longtime attendees spend their entertainment dollars elsewhere.

According to the Post's Travis Anderson, "In the week following Trump’s announcement, ticket sales dropped by roughly 50 percent compared to the previous week, a stunning aberration, according to several Kennedy Center staff members who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal."

That drop in tickets sold has scheduled artists weighing whether to pull out of appearances.

Case in point, Canadian mystery writer Louise Penny pulled the plug on her scheduled appearance, writing on Facebook, "In DC, but in the wake of Trump taking over, I have pulled out. It was, of course, going to be a career highlight. But there are things far more important than that.”

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