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BlueWaveNeverEnd

(11,930 posts)
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 08:48 AM Friday

Trump said he'd make Kennedy Center "hot" again. Instead ticket sales have plummeted since Trump takeover

Kennedy Center ticket sales have plummeted since Trump takeover https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/kennedy-center-ticket-sales-have-plummeted-since-trump-takeover/ar-AA1PyzfG


After President Donald Trump took over the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in February, he and the executive he put in charge repeatedly accused the institution’s former leadership of not doing the very thing they are responsible for: selling tickets.


“We had spent way too much on programming that doesn’t bring in any revenue,” Richard Grenell, a Trump ally and former ambassador to Germany, told the Washington Reporter, a conservative media outlet, in late March. According to Grenell, the center hadn’t been making money. It was too woke and niche. The new team was, in Trump’s words, going to make it “hot” again.


Nearly nine months after Trump became chair of the center and more than a month into its main season, ticket sales for the Kennedy Center’s three largest performance venues are the worst they’ve been in years, according to a Washington Post analysis of ticketing data from dozens of recent shows as well as past seasons. Tens of thousands of seats have been left empty.

Since early September, 43 percent of tickets remained unsold for the typical production. That means that, at most, 57 percent of tickets were sold for the typical production — and some tickets may have been “comps,” which are given away, often to staff members or the press. That compares with 93 percent sold or comped in fall 2024 and 80 percent in fall 2023.

____

During the concert, which one of this article’s reporters attended, the ushers repeatedly encouraged audience members to move up to more expensive seats, as much of the orchestra section was empty. The top two tiers, which were originally available for purchase, were closed several days before the three-performance run because of low ticket sales

51 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Trump said he'd make Kennedy Center "hot" again. Instead ticket sales have plummeted since Trump takeover (Original Post) BlueWaveNeverEnd Friday OP
Chachi, Lee Greenwood, Kid Rock, and Ted "poopy pants" Nugent? Stacey Grove Friday #1
That would be an interesting, although ridiculous, lineup. Dave Bowman Friday #15
Wah, wah, wah! Prof. Toru Tanaka Friday #41
They may be popular with magats out at their rallies, but ms liberty Friday #19
The TRUMP brand stinks. ProudMNDemocrat Friday #2
yes it does and it has infected this once great nation. peacebuzzard Friday #7
Should I be the first Norbert Friday #3
I was going to say the same Norbert peacebuzzard Friday #6
He's the anti-Midas. A Sadim Jerry2144 Friday #17
Remove the culture and plug it with bling bucolic_frolic Friday #4
And want to reconstruct it into a golden monstrosity............... Lovie777 Friday #5
I don't know who would pay to see the MAGA approved shows he wants to have there. Diamond_Dog Friday #8
Maybe they could play Springtime for Hitler? Dave Bowman Friday #18
My Aunt Canceled Her Tickets Deep State Witch Friday #9
good, I hope no one goes. peacebuzzard Friday #12
🤣🤣🤣 underpants Friday #14
Hats off to your aunt. 👍 Dave Bowman Friday #20
It seems like his weirdness has contagiously spread peacebuzzard Friday #10
Demolished in 3-2-1..... Blues Heron Friday #11
Hot.... tanyev Friday #13
Trump couldn't even make gambling casinos "hot." sop Friday #16
Yeah, it takes a special kind of loser to bankrupt casinos. Dave Bowman Friday #21
Dump's problem is that his notion of "hot" is not. He has the mental depth of allegorical oracle Friday #22
Is he going to set it on fire? milestogo Friday #23
Nope, they will use it to do nuclear tests on! usedtobedemgurl Friday #48
The "Dancing with Donald" one-man show wasn't as much of a draw as they thought. Buns_of_Fire Friday #24
LOL. Especially tomatoes. "They can hurt you!" he once exclaimed. nt allegorical oracle Friday #40
ETTD tblue37 Friday #25
Everything trump touches dies LetMyPeopleVote Friday #26
The Kennedy Center's legacy is dead mdbl Friday #27
Just 1 Moron. SalamanderSleeps Friday #31
No, morons. mdbl 23 hrs ago #50
Just wait until they install the stripper poles and host Kid Rock IronLionZion Friday #28
Or Lara Trump. MIButterfly Friday #29
ETTD COL Mustard Friday #30
Get some tractor pulls and WWF in there. Aristus Friday #32
Everything Trump Touches Dies D_Master81 Friday #33
Trump's long range plan AverageOldGuy Friday #34
More like hot garbage. Crowman2009 Friday #35
Wait until he changes it to his name ! kimbutgar Friday #36
Mr. McMahon and his wife will buy it, rename it the Trump WWE Arena, and he and Orange Julius Caesar will wrestle generalbetrayus Friday #37
This asshole ruins everything he touches. ECL213 Friday #38
Monster truck, monster truck, monster trucks Johonny Friday #39
Add it to his list of failures Blue Owl Friday #42
I wondered where Ric Grinell ended up in this clown show Ruby the Liberal Friday #43
Tickets were always too pricey when I lived there Warpy Friday #44
trump lies, often. republianmushroom Friday #45
Donald trump is the original casino "cooler". Totally Tunsie Friday #46
Trump has the negative Midas effect. Everything he touches turns to shit. Martin68 Friday #47
He'll declare it unneeded since nobody goes there anymore... SeattleVet Friday #49
Like it wasn't already hot. This sounds familiar, like... Beartracks 23 hrs ago #51

ms liberty

(10,755 posts)
19. They may be popular with magats out at their rallies, but
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 09:15 AM
Friday

Those people are not the ones who buy tickets to the Kennedy Center, unless their old people tour group booked it as one of their activities on their DC trip.

peacebuzzard

(5,737 posts)
7. yes it does and it has infected this once great nation.
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 09:01 AM
Friday

I work with a lot of people and have many people around me all the time unless I am home.
And it seems like everyone, I mean everyone in this nation is on edge.

Diamond_Dog

(38,980 posts)
8. I don't know who would pay to see the MAGA approved shows he wants to have there.
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 09:01 AM
Friday

I can just picture the cobwebs inside.

Deep State Witch

(12,408 posts)
9. My Aunt Canceled Her Tickets
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 09:05 AM
Friday

She belonged to the National Symphony series and the Broadway series for many years. She canceled her tickets as soon as Taco Tits took it over. She's not the only one.

peacebuzzard

(5,737 posts)
10. It seems like his weirdness has contagiously spread
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 09:05 AM
Friday

the man is a (Biden said it better) SF. He is a parasite and he is rottten through and through with dementia nonetheless.
Why can't our elected people see this and do something
Why is there not a grand chorus screaming how he has to go?
Oh I forgot....follow the money.
We are so screwed.
(rant off)

Buns_of_Fire

(18,884 posts)
24. The "Dancing with Donald" one-man show wasn't as much of a draw as they thought.
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 09:25 AM
Friday

Especially after it was announced that no one would be seated who brought rotten produce with them to the show.

mdbl

(7,685 posts)
50. No, morons.
Sat Nov 1, 2025, 10:45 PM
23 hrs ago

Starting with the SCROTUS giving immunity to dopey, add the do-nothing GOP Congress who let him run wild like a little brat in a candy store, and round it out with all those that voted for this mess last November. People need to quit just blaming Dump. He's never been any better than he is right now. He was like this 15 years ago.

IronLionZion

(50,234 posts)
28. Just wait until they install the stripper poles and host Kid Rock
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 09:48 AM
Friday

Maybe Kash Patel's country singer girlfriend will host a concert there.

Aristus

(71,217 posts)
32. Get some tractor pulls and WWF in there.
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 10:22 AM
Friday

The rubes and the rednecks will come scurrying out of their trailers and their tar-paper shacks for those. If they have any money, that is.

AverageOldGuy

(3,118 posts)
34. Trump's long range plan
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 10:28 AM
Friday

Make Kennedy Center go broke. He’s good at bankruptcies.

Buy it, tear it down. He does this very well.

Build a Trump Tower.

generalbetrayus

(1,331 posts)
37. Mr. McMahon and his wife will buy it, rename it the Trump WWE Arena, and he and Orange Julius Caesar will wrestle
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 11:22 AM
Friday

nightly as the main event.

Johonny

(24,963 posts)
39. Monster truck, monster truck, monster trucks
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 11:36 AM
Friday

The only way to miss it to be dead or in jail and if your in jail break out!

Ruby the Liberal

(26,562 posts)
43. I wondered where Ric Grinell ended up in this clown show
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 12:01 PM
Friday

Who needs experience? Call central casting and find a MAGA approved gay guy to run the shows.

How very on brand.

Warpy

(114,142 posts)
44. Tickets were always too pricey when I lived there
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 12:23 PM
Friday

I did go to some wonderful concerts at Wolf Trap Farm, sat on the lawn where it was really cheap but still an intimate enough venue that I could see the performers. Got rained on every damn time.

I have a feeling Kennedy Center will be closed by the time Fatso and his crew are just a stink we're trying to air out. It's just not profitable, there will be more glitz and glam at the Epstein Ballroom (where they can make sure only Republicans can be admitted), and it's named for a dead Democrat.

(Just looked at Wolf Trap's list this year, you can tell the Republicans are in power, lots of C&W acts)

Totally Tunsie

(11,391 posts)
46. Donald trump is the original casino "cooler".
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 02:09 PM
Friday

Anything and everything he's involved with is going to tank sooner or later.

SeattleVet

(5,769 posts)
49. He'll declare it unneeded since nobody goes there anymore...
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 07:27 PM
Friday

and gut the place, turning it into yet another tRumpian nightmare of design.

Beartracks

(14,186 posts)
51. Like it wasn't already hot. This sounds familiar, like...
Sat Nov 1, 2025, 10:48 PM
23 hrs ago

... when Trump said he'd make America great again.

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