King Donald I of America

With ticket sales at about 40% unsold, the Washington National Opera (WNO) is considering moving out of the Kennedy Center, the company’s residency since the performing arts center opened in 1971.

The plummeting of ticket sales is the result of Trump’s coup to take over and control the Kennedy Center in February 2025. Reduced ticket sales concern every actor in the center, not only WNO. The loss of revenue is unacceptable.

WNO artistic director Francesca Zambello said to the British newspaper The Guardian that leaving the Kennedy Center is a possible scenario after the dramatic collapse in box office revenue and “shattered” donor confidence in the wake of Trump’s coup.