Kennedy Center name change reportedly cost venue $100 million in lost revenue

The Kennedy Center's finances took a hit after President Donald Trump's name was added to the venue, according to a new report. The Washington Post reported Tuesday on confidential documents showing that "ticket sales and fundraising collapsed" following the rebrand, even as center officials publicly said finances were turning around.

After Trump's takeover of the center's board in 2025, officials had planned a $220 million budget. But by late May, five months after the board voted to add his name to the venue, officials projected revenue of only about $124 million. Even after cutting expenses through layoffs and program cuts, the center forecast it would still be $23 million short of what it needed to cover its costs.

Ticket sales had already dropped following Trump's takeover, but the documents showed that patrons' purchases and donations "plunged" after the name change vote specifically, according to the Post. The center revised its ticket-sales revenue projections downward by 70% and lowered donation predictions by 25%.

The declines contradicted what officials were saying publicly. One Justice Department lawyer asserted in a lawsuit that Trump's name was saving the Kennedy Center from financial collapse, even as internal projections showed sales and fundraising had "plummeted" since the change, the Post reported. A Kennedy Center spokesperson attributed the institution's financial struggles to prior leadership and did not dispute the fiscal 2026 projections outlined in the report.

In late May, a court ordered the Kennedy Center to remove Trump's name, ruling that only Congress has the authority to rename the venue, a decision upheld on appeal that also halted plans to close the building for renovations. Earlier this month, the board was reported to be trying again to close the venue and reattach Trump's name.