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

Internal Kennedy Center records obtained by CNN indicate the institution's finances worsened sharply once President Donald Trump took over as chairman, undercutting the case that the venue needs his help and a renamed building to raise money. The documents, part of the material behind a whistleblower complaint, cover fiscal year 2024 through this year. The complaint alleges the administration deliberately withheld repairs to justify closing the center for two years of renovation or even demolishing it.

According to one document, after the board approved adding Trump's name in December 2025, gifts from January through April were 42% lower than in the preceding three months, while pledges fell by more than 100%. A tax expert told CNN that figure is plausible if earlier commitments were rescinded. Ticket sales were already weak after the pandemic, but a financial review shows the slide speeding up after Trump chose a new board in February 2025. Revenue was projected to slip from $57 million to $51 million across fiscal years 2024 and 2025. Fundraising missed its goal by about $5. 1 million in fiscal 2025. Preliminary figures show a deficit above $16 million for that year, expected to reach $23 million in 2026.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN →