Donation pledges to Kennedy Center fell by more than 100% in months after Trump’s name added, internal documents show

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

For much of the past year, the financial alarm bells at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have been going off among the stewards of the iconic art institution.

There were warnings that its accounts had deteriorated under President Donald Trump’s chairmanship, according to records and internal presentations obtained by CNN that cover Kennedy Center finances from fiscal year 2024 through this year.

After the Kennedy Center board voted to place Trump’s name on the building in December 2025, gifts to the arts institution plunged 42% and donation pledges dropped more than 100% from January to April compared to the three months prior, one document revealed. A tax expert told CNN that a decline of that size is possible if earlier pledges were withdrawn.

The documents show that the center had faced financial pressures that affected much of the performing arts industry in the wake of the Covid pandemic; the situation worsened after the president got involved.

In a slide summarizing the state of the center in May 2025, the first bullet point acknowledged that it was “out of cash.” A subsequent slide on where things stood in 2026 revealed that ticket sales had dropped to “pandemic levels” in the second quarter, and that the “decline accelerate[d] in 2025 when the new board [was] announced.”

The institution’s financial health is expected to deteriorate further. Preliminary numbers show a deficit of over $16 million for fiscal year 2025, which is projected to grow to $23 million in 2026.

Taken together, the documents paint a fuller picture of the Kennedy Center’s financial and physical position. They broadly refute the Trump-aligned board’s argument that the institution needs Trump’s help and must rename its grounds in the president’s honor to raise funds for direly needed renovations.

“The Kennedy Center was losing Hundreds of Millions of Dollars when I took over. It was failing badly! It had nothing to do with me, I am only there to help,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in mid-September.

But one document, a financial performance review for the 2025 fiscal year, noted that the Kennedy Center had assessed its deferred maintenance needs after Trump took over as chairman, and that funds for those maintenance updates were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill, the sweeping funding law passed by Congress last year.

The legislation’s “funding supports a major capital investment in the Center’s critical infrastructure,” the document said. “This investment provides the Center with a unique opportunity to comprehensively renovate and modernize the main building.”

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center told CNN that it “ continues to work through post-pandemic shifts in audience behavior seen across the performing arts industry, and ticket sales” and the changes are reflected in its budget. Trump helped it secure funding from Congress but additional fundraising is needed for other costs, such as payroll and programming, the person said.

“The Center remains focused on restoring and revitalizing this iconic institution — while continuing to offer free and accessible programming — for audiences to enjoy for generations to come,” they added.

The White House did not reply to a request for comment.

The documents obtained by CNN included financial assessments, balance sheets and planning papers that give an unvarnished look at the Kennedy Center’s inner workings.

They are part of a tranche of papers underlying a whistleblower complaint asserting that the Trump administration has purposefully withheld repairs to justify its plans to close for two years of renovations – or even demolish the building.

They show that in the wake of the Covid pandemic, the center was hit by an industry-wide decline in attendance that continued to trend downward over the last several years.

That accelerated after the Trump takeover. A line chart in a financial review presentation from earlier this year shows the downtrend in sales intensifying after Trump selected a new board in February 2025 and after the center’s name was changed to include Trump.

Trump was elected chairman shortly after he replaced the board. In that position, he installed a longtime loyalist, Ric Grenell, as executive director, who sought to revamp the programming at the institution.

The Trump-led changes prompted several cancellations, including most notably the Broadway show “Hamilton.”

Sources previously told CNN that attendance at the Kennedy Center had been so low that for months, it had to “paper the house” — a theater term that means to fill seats by offering free or discounted tickets.

Between April of fiscal year 2024 to 2025, ticket sales declined from $57 million to a projected $51 million, according to one document reviewed by CNN.

The Kennedy Center also struggled to meet its fundraising targets during the last fiscal year, according to the records.

Among the key preliminary findings presented by the center’s audit and finance committee is that fundraising performance fell “below target” by about $5.1 million in fiscal year 2025, the period between October 2024 and September 2025.

Some of the financial underperformance appears to have been offset by cost-cutting efforts affecting multiple parts of the venue. One of the updates included in the records cites personnel cost cuts, reduced headcount, and cuts to operational expenses.

The future of the Kennedy Center remains in limbo as an intense legal battle continues.

The main building is currently closed to the public following a board vote last month to shut its doors for emergency repairs.

While a federal court has ordered the Kennedy Center to find a way to remain open during renovations, the institution leadership says it needs time to assess safety risks in the deteriorating building. That judge has also rebuffed Trump’s efforts to put his own name on the building.

Trump has only ratcheted up his threats to tear down the building in response to the legal setbacks.

In September, he was seen with a poster through the window of Air Force One that appeared to read “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED,” and government lawyers have argued that only by attaching his name to the building can enough donations be collected to save it.

“The Board recognizes that President Trump’s efforts and prestige provide the sole hope for the Center’s financial survival, and structural renewal,” the Justice department argued in a court filing, adding: “The Board also underscores, and the undisputed evidence demonstrates, that without the prominent recognition of The Trump Administration, and President Trump’s efforts, the donors will not contribute, and the Center will continue to be in a financial and structural death spiral.”

Judge Christopher Cooper has ordered the administration give at least 30 days’ notice before demolition or new construction can take place. He also demanded more explanation about the temporary closure and emergency repairs the Kennedy Center says are needed.

In an interview with TIME Magazine on Thursday, Trump repeatedly declined to rule out demolition of the Kennedy Center.

Pressed on whether he would commit to not bringing in wrecking balls to demolish the building, he said: “I’m not committing to anything. We’re going to see how it plays out in court.”

In their most recent filing to court, the executive director, Matt Floca, indicated that the closure would be reevaluated on a weekly basis. Late Wednesday evening, Floca, sent the small group of remaining staff an email noting that the building itself “remains temporarily closed” after teams have assessed its conditions.

In the email obtained by CNN, engineers “documented significant corrosion” around the soffits, an exterior overhang structure.

“Our facilities, safety, and security teams are now conducting a detailed emergency egress assessment to determine whether, and under what conditions, the building can safely support occupants,” he said, adding that an update on the matter is expected “within the next one to two weeks.”

The court is scheduled to get a status update this Friday.

CNN’s John Towfighi contributed.

巴勃罗·马丁内斯·蒙西瓦伊斯/美联社

在过去一年的大部分时间里，约翰·F·肯尼迪表演艺术中心的财务警钟一直在这家标志性艺术机构的管理人员中响起。

据 CNN 获取的记录和内部演示文稿显示，肯尼迪中心从 2024 财年到今年的财务状况表明，在唐纳德·特朗普总统担任主席期间，其账户状况已经恶化。

肯尼迪中心董事会投票决定于2025年12月将大楼更名为特朗普大楼后，一份文件显示，该艺术机构收到的捐款骤降42%，而1月至4月的捐款承诺量与此前三个月相比更是下降了100%以上。一位税务专家告诉CNN，如果之前的捐款承诺被撤回，出现如此大幅度的下降是有可能的。

文件显示，在新冠疫情爆发后，该中心面临着影响到表演艺术行业大部分领域的财务压力；总统介入后，情况进一步恶化。

在总结该中心2025年5月状况的幻灯片中，第一点就承认该中心“资金耗尽”。随后的幻灯片展示了2026年的状况，显示第二季度门票销售额已降至“疫情水平”，并且“在2025年新董事会宣布成立后，这种下滑趋势加速了”。

该机构的财务状况预计将进一步恶化。初步数据显示，2025财年赤字将超过1600万美元，预计2026年将增至2300万美元。

这些文件综合起来，更全面地展现了肯尼迪中心的财务和设施状况。它们基本驳斥了与特朗普关系密切的董事会的论点，即该机构需要特朗普的帮助，并且必须以总统的名字重新命名其场地，才能筹集到急需的翻新资金。

“我接手肯尼迪中心时，它亏损数亿美元。情况非常糟糕！这与我无关，我只是去帮忙，”特朗普9月中旬在Truth Social上写道。

但其中一份文件，即 2025 财年的财务绩效评估报告指出，肯尼迪中心在特朗普担任主席后评估了其延期维护需求，并且这些维护更新的资金已包含在去年国会通过的全面拨款法案《一个美好的大法案》中。

文件称，该法案的“资金将用于支持中心关键基础设施的大规模资本投资”。“这项投资为中心提供了一个独特的机会，可以对主楼进行全面翻新和现代化改造。”

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

肯尼迪中心的一位发言人告诉CNN，该中心“仍在努力应对疫情后整个表演艺术行业观众行为和门票销售的变化”，这些变化也反映在其预算中。这位发言人表示，特朗普曾帮助该中心从国会获得拨款，但仍需筹集额外资金来支付其他费用，例如员工工资和节目制作费用。

他们补充说：“该中心将继续致力于修复和振兴这一标志性机构，同时继续提供免费且易于参与的节目，供子孙后代欣赏。”

白宫未回复置评请求。

CNN获得的文件包括财务评估、资产负债表和规划文件，这些文件真实地展现了肯尼迪中心的内部运作情况。

这些文件是举报人投诉中的一部分，该投诉声称特朗普政府故意拖延维修，以证明其关闭两年进行翻修（甚至拆除该建筑）的计划是合理的。

数据显示，受新冠疫情影响，该中心受到了整个行业客流量下降的冲击，并且在过去几年中持续呈下降趋势。

特朗普接手后，这种情况加速恶化。今年早些时候的一份财务回顾报告中的折线图显示，在特朗普于2025年2月任命新董事会以及将中心名称改为包含特朗普名字之后，销售额的下滑趋势加剧。

特朗普在更换董事会后不久便当选为董事长。上任后，他任命了长期忠实拥护者里克·格雷内尔担任执行董事，格雷内尔试图改革该机构的项目规划。

特朗普主导的改革导致多项演出取消，其中最引人注目的是百老汇音乐剧《汉密尔顿》。

此前有消息人士告诉 CNN，肯尼迪中心的观众人数一直很低，以至于几个月来不得不“用纸糊票填满剧院”——这是一个戏剧术语，意思是提供免费或折扣票来填满座位。

据 CNN 查阅的一份文件显示，在 2024 财年至 2025 财年 4 月期间，门票销售额从 5700 万美元下降到预计的 5100 万美元。

根据记录显示，肯尼迪中心在上一个财政年度也难以达到其筹款目标。

该中心审计和财务委员会提出的主要初步调查结果之一是，2025 财年（2024 年 10 月至 2025 年 9 月期间）的筹款业绩“低于目标”约 510 万美元。

部分财务业绩不佳似乎已被场馆多个部门采取的成本削减措施所抵消。记录中的一项更新内容提到了人员成本削减、员工人数减少和运营费用削减。

由于激烈的法律斗争仍在继续，肯尼迪中心的未来仍然悬而未决。

上个月董事会投票决定关闭主楼进行紧急维修，目前该建筑不对公众开放。

尽管联邦法院已下令肯尼迪中心在翻修期间必须找到继续开放的办法，但该机构领导层表示，他们需要时间来评估这座日渐破败的建筑存在的安全隐患。此外，该法官还驳回了特朗普将自己的名字加在建筑上的请求。

面对法律上的挫败，特朗普反而加大了拆除这座大楼的威胁力度。

9 月，有人看到他从空军一号的窗户里伸出一张海报，上面似乎写着“肯尼迪中心被拆除”。政府律师辩称，只有把他的名字与这座建筑联系起来，才能筹集到足够的捐款来拯救它。

司法部在一份法庭文件中辩称：“董事会认识到，特朗普总统的努力和声望是该中心财务生存和结构更新的唯一希望。”并补充道：“董事会还强调，无可争议的证据表明，如果没有特朗普政府和特朗普总统的努力得到高度认可，捐助者将不会捐款，该中心将继续陷入财务和结构上的死亡螺旋。”

克里斯托弗·库珀法官已下令，肯尼迪中心在进行拆除或新建工程前，必须至少提前30天发出通知。他还要求肯尼迪中心就其所称的临时关闭和紧急维修事宜做出更多解释。

周四，特朗普在接受《时代》杂志采访时，多次拒绝排除拆除肯尼迪中心的可能性。

当被追问是否会承诺不动用拆迁设备拆除该建筑时，他表示：“我不会做出任何承诺。我们拭目以待法庭的判决。”

在最近提交给法院的文件中，执行主任马特·弗洛卡表示，关闭情况将每周重新评估。周三晚些时候，弗洛卡向留守的一小部分员工发送了一封电子邮件，指出在团队评估了大楼状况后，大楼本身“仍然暂时关闭”。

CNN获得的电子邮件显示，工程师们“记录了屋檐（一种外部悬挑结构）周围严重的腐蚀情况”。

“我们的设施、安全和安保团队目前正在进行详细的紧急疏散评估，以确定该建筑物是否以及在何种条件下能够安全地容纳人员，”他说道，并补充说，预计“在未来一到两周内”将有关于此事的最新消息。

法院计划于本周五听取案件进展情况汇报。

CNN的约翰·托菲吉对此文亦有贡献。