President Donald Trump on Monday sought to distance himself from what he called a “massive deficit” at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, arguing the financial troubles predated his overhaul of the venue.
“People don’t realize that The Trump Kennedy Center suffered massive deficits for many years and, like everything else, I merely came in to save it and, if possible, make it far better than ever before!” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
The institution has faced mounting questions about attendance since Trump’s February remaking of the center’s leadership and direction. An October analysis by The Washington Post of ticketing data found sales for the three largest venues—the Opera House, Concert Hall, and Eisenhower Theater—were at their lowest level in three years.
According to that analysis, data from Sept. 3 to Oct. 19 showed that roughly 57% of tickets were sold for a typical production when including “comps,” or tickets distributed to staff and the press. That compared with 93% in fall 2024 and 80% in fall 2023.
A wave of high-profile withdrawals has also added to the turbulence, with multiple artists and groups stepping away from scheduled appearances in what critics have described as a backlash to the center’s perceived political shift. This month alone, the Kennedy Center saw several cancellations.
Grammy-winning soprano Renée Fleming withdrew last week, with the center citing a “scheduling conflict.” The Martha Graham Dance Company, the oldest dance company of its kind in the U.S., canceled an April performance without offering an explanation. The Washington National Opera also ended its five-decade residency at the venue earlier this month.
Trump’s assertion that the center has “suffered massive deficits for many years,” however, has been challenged by former staffers.
In March, the center’s new chief financial officer, Donna Arduin, told staff in an email that the organization was dealing with a $100 million deficit. But staffers told the Post that the figure was misleading.
“The statement that we have an operating deficit of over $100 million is inaccurate,” one staffer with direct knowledge of the finances said, arguing that the number excluded major nonprofit revenue sources such as donations, grants, and endowment support. The staffer noted that audited FY23 financial statements—publicly available via ProPublica—reflect those revenue streams, and said framing the budget as “earned revenue minus expenses” applies a for-profit lens that doesn’t match how nonprofits typically operate.
In December, the board appointed under Trump announced plans to rename the venue the Trump-Kennedy Center, a move that would require congressional approval.
