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BlueWaveNeverEnd

(12,603 posts)
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 07:48 AM Oct 31

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

52 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 Oct 31 OP
Chachi, Lee Greenwood, Kid Rock, and Ted "poopy pants" Nugent? Stacey Grove Oct 31 #1
That would be an interesting, although ridiculous, lineup. Dave Bowman Oct 31 #15
Wah, wah, wah! Prof. Toru Tanaka Oct 31 #41
They may be popular with magats out at their rallies, but ms liberty Oct 31 #19
The TRUMP brand stinks. ProudMNDemocrat Oct 31 #2
yes it does and it has infected this once great nation. peacebuzzard Oct 31 #7
Should I be the first Norbert Oct 31 #3
I was going to say the same Norbert peacebuzzard Oct 31 #6
He's the anti-Midas. A Sadim Jerry2144 Oct 31 #17
Remove the culture and plug it with bling bucolic_frolic Oct 31 #4
And want to reconstruct it into a golden monstrosity............... Lovie777 Oct 31 #5
I don't know who would pay to see the MAGA approved shows he wants to have there. Diamond_Dog Oct 31 #8
Maybe they could play Springtime for Hitler? Dave Bowman Oct 31 #18
My Aunt Canceled Her Tickets Deep State Witch Oct 31 #9
good, I hope no one goes. peacebuzzard Oct 31 #12
🤣🤣🤣 underpants Oct 31 #14
Hats off to your aunt. 👍 Dave Bowman Oct 31 #20
It seems like his weirdness has contagiously spread peacebuzzard Oct 31 #10
Demolished in 3-2-1..... Blues Heron Oct 31 #11
Hot.... tanyev Oct 31 #13
Trump couldn't even make gambling casinos "hot." sop Oct 31 #16
Yeah, it takes a special kind of loser to bankrupt casinos. Dave Bowman Oct 31 #21
Dump's problem is that his notion of "hot" is not. He has the mental depth of allegorical oracle Oct 31 #22
Is he going to set it on fire? milestogo Oct 31 #23
Nope, they will use it to do nuclear tests on! usedtobedemgurl Oct 31 #48
The "Dancing with Donald" one-man show wasn't as much of a draw as they thought. Buns_of_Fire Oct 31 #24
LOL. Especially tomatoes. "They can hurt you!" he once exclaimed. nt allegorical oracle Oct 31 #40
ETTD tblue37 Oct 31 #25
Everything trump touches dies LetMyPeopleVote Oct 31 #26
The Kennedy Center's legacy is dead mdbl Oct 31 #27
Just 1 Moron. SalamanderSleeps Oct 31 #31
No, morons. mdbl Nov 1 #50
Just wait until they install the stripper poles and host Kid Rock IronLionZion Oct 31 #28
Or Lara Trump. MIButterfly Oct 31 #29
ETTD COL Mustard Oct 31 #30
Get some tractor pulls and WWF in there. Aristus Oct 31 #32
Everything Trump Touches Dies D_Master81 Oct 31 #33
Trump's long range plan AverageOldGuy Oct 31 #34
More like hot garbage. Crowman2009 Oct 31 #35
Wait until he changes it to his name ! kimbutgar Oct 31 #36
Mr. McMahon and his wife will buy it, rename it the Trump WWE Arena, and he and Orange Julius Caesar will wrestle generalbetrayus Oct 31 #37
This asshole ruins everything he touches. ECL213 Oct 31 #38
Monster truck, monster truck, monster trucks Johonny Oct 31 #39
Add it to his list of failures Blue Owl Oct 31 #42
I wondered where Ric Grinell ended up in this clown show Ruby the Liberal Oct 31 #43
Tickets were always too pricey when I lived there Warpy Oct 31 #44
trump lies, often. republianmushroom Oct 31 #45
Donald trump is the original casino "cooler". Totally Tunsie Oct 31 #46
Trump has the negative Midas effect. Everything he touches turns to shit. Martin68 Oct 31 #47
He'll declare it unneeded since nobody goes there anymore... SeattleVet Oct 31 #49
Like it wasn't already hot. This sounds familiar, like... Beartracks Nov 1 #51
The Kennedy Center is still the Kennedy Center LetMyPeopleVote Thursday #52

ms liberty

(10,918 posts)
19. They may be popular with magats out at their rallies, but
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 08:15 AM
Oct 31

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

(5,792 posts)
7. yes it does and it has infected this once great nation.
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 08:01 AM
Oct 31

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

(39,610 posts)
8. I don't know who would pay to see the MAGA approved shows he wants to have there.
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 08:01 AM
Oct 31

I can just picture the cobwebs inside.

Deep State Witch

(12,530 posts)
9. My Aunt Canceled Her Tickets
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 08:05 AM
Oct 31

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

(5,792 posts)
10. It seems like his weirdness has contagiously spread
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 08:05 AM
Oct 31

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

(18,972 posts)
24. The "Dancing with Donald" one-man show wasn't as much of a draw as they thought.
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 08:25 AM
Oct 31

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

mdbl

(7,996 posts)
50. No, morons.
Sat Nov 1, 2025, 09:45 PM
Nov 1

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

(50,709 posts)
28. Just wait until they install the stripper poles and host Kid Rock
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 08:48 AM
Oct 31

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

Aristus

(71,521 posts)
32. Get some tractor pulls and WWF in there.
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 09:22 AM
Oct 31

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

(3,268 posts)
34. Trump's long range plan
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 09:28 AM
Oct 31

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

(1,476 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, 10:22 AM
Oct 31

nightly as the main event.

Johonny

(25,269 posts)
39. Monster truck, monster truck, monster trucks
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 10:36 AM
Oct 31

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

Ruby the Liberal

(26,591 posts)
43. I wondered where Ric Grinell ended up in this clown show
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 11:01 AM
Oct 31

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

How very on brand.

Warpy

(114,356 posts)
44. Tickets were always too pricey when I lived there
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 11:23 AM
Oct 31

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

(11,524 posts)
46. Donald trump is the original casino "cooler".
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 01:09 PM
Oct 31

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

SeattleVet

(5,812 posts)
49. He'll declare it unneeded since nobody goes there anymore...
Fri Oct 31, 2025, 06:27 PM
Oct 31

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

Beartracks

(14,291 posts)
51. Like it wasn't already hot. This sounds familiar, like...
Sat Nov 1, 2025, 09:48 PM
Nov 1

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

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