Washington National Opera eyes abandoning Kennedy Center amid Trump takeover chaos

The Washington National Opera is contemplating leaving the Kennedy Center — a major casualty of President Donald Trump's takeover of the cultural institution, according to Artistic Director Francesca Zambello.

Zambello painted a stark picture of the center's transformation, noting to The Guardian, "It is our desire to perform in our home at the Kennedy Center. But if we cannot raise enough money, or sell enough tickets in there, we have to consider other options."

She emphasized that "the two things that support a company financially, because of the takeover, have been severely compromised."

The audience response has been particularly bad, she said, while sharing passionate messages the opera has received.

"They say things like: 'I'm never setting foot in there until the "orange menace" is gone.' Or: 'Don't you know history? Don't you know what Hitler did? I refuse to give you a penny.'"

In February 2025, Trump declared himself chair of the Kennedy Center, firing its bipartisan board and replacing leadership with his own appointees. The move sparked widespread criticism, leading to a 40% drop in ticket sales and donor confidence.

Ticket sales for the opera have plummeted dramatically, the artistic director said. Before Trump's takeover, performances ran at 80%-90% capacity. Now, they're down to 60%, with the appearance of fuller houses maintained by distributing complimentary tickets, The Guardian reported.

Zambello described the center as "tainted" and "politicized by the current management." She contrasted this with the previous board, which "was always a mix of Republicans and Democrats. It did not matter that someone was a Republican or a Democrat. What mattered was that they were leading a big, important institution."

The new management has raised additional concerns. "They have suggested that we produce more popular operas," Zambello noted. "This season, we are producing The Marriage of Figaro, Aida and West Side Story … I don't see how we can get more popular than that."

She also highlighted ongoing challenges with the new leadership, including questions about the company's commitment to diversity. "The management has questioned some aspects of it, and we have explained these are the best people for the roles," she said. "America is an incredibly diverse country, and so we want to represent every part of this country on our stage."

The financial pressure is intense, she said. Richard Grenell, the Trump-appointed president of the center, issued an edict requiring all shows to be "net neutral," but Zambello admitted to The Guardian, "We're at the point where now we can't present a net-neutral budget without an epic amount of outside funding, or knowing that our patrons would come back."

Despite the challenges, Zambello remains hopeful about finding a way forward, stating, "We can't turn our backs on half this country. We have to find a way to all communicate and function together. I don't believe in 'us' and 'them'."