Kennedy Center Ticket Sales Have Dropped 50% Since Trump Takeover

Ticket sales for Kennedy Center events dropped 50% week over week following turmoil as President Trump overhauled its board.

Ticket sales plummeted after Trump announced he planned to make the Kennedy Center "great again" and that it was "an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation," The Washington Post reported.

Trump also overhauled the center's board of trustees and promptly elected Trump chairman. The Post reported that Trump also fired president Deborah F. Rutter and made former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell interim president of the organization.

Following those changes, the center canceled performances by the touring children's musical "Finn." Also canceled was a planned concert featuring the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C. Trump stated the changes at the Kennedy Center were part of his fight against "woke" culture, ABC News reported.

With ticket sales plummeting and the ensuing turmoil, acts planned for the Kennedy Center have begun withdrawing. Actress and comedian Issa Rae withdrew, and Canadian mystery novelist Louise Penny said that she was supposed to launch her new novel "The Black Wolf" at the center but changed her mind amidst the changes, the Post reported.

Other changes include the resignations of prominent board members, such as famed TV producer Shonda Rhimes, who quit as treasurer. Rhimes is probably best known for the long-running show "Grey's Anatomy."

"The Kennedy Center learned the hard way that if you go woke, you will go broke. President Trump and the members of his newly-appointed board are devoted to rebuilding the Kennedy Center into a thriving and highly respected institution where all Americans, and visitors from around the world, can enjoy the arts with respect to America's great history and traditions," the White House said in a statement to the Wall Street Journal.