LDL. WNO REBELS AGAINST TRUMP’S TAKEOVER OF THE KENNEDY CENTER: “THE BUILDING IS TAINTED”. LDL

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Washington National Opera (WNO) is on the verge of a historic walkout after what insiders are calling a “cultural coup” — the result of Donald Trump’s controversial takeover of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Once a nonpartisan symbol of American creativity, the Kennedy Center has become a political battlefield. Trump’s self-declared appointment as chair earlier this year — followed by the firing of the institution’s bipartisan board — has sparked outrage among artists, donors, and audiences alike.

Since the move, attendance has plummeted, donors have fled, and the opera company now faces what its leaders describe as an “existential crisis.”

“We’re at the point where we can’t survive financially,” said WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello. “The building is tainted.”

Ticket Sales Collapse, Donors Revolt

Before Trump’s takeover, the Kennedy Center’s performances regularly sold 80–90% of available seats. Today, that figure has plunged below 60% — and even lower, according to internal estimates.

Sources within the organization describe panic behind the scenes. Free tickets are being handed out to make audiences appear larger, while major donors — many of whom have supported the arts for decades — are cutting ties.

Messages from patrons reflect the fury:

“I’m never setting foot in there until the orange menace is gone.”
“Don’t you know what Hitler did? I refuse to give you a penny.”

According to staff members, the new Trump-appointed leadership has gutted the marketing and development departments, replaced veteran arts professionals with political loyalists, and pushed to eliminate the Opera’s diversity and inclusion benchmarks — including its commitment to maintaining at least 50% non-white casting.

“They’ve turned an arts institution into a propaganda stage,” one staffer said under condition of anonymity. “It’s not about music anymore. It’s about loyalty.”

Censorship and Creative Exodus

The cultural fallout has been swift. The creative team behind Fellow Travelers — an acclaimed opera about government persecution of gay Americans — withdrew their production entirely, refusing to perform under the Trump-appointed administration.

“The irony is painful,” said one producer. “An opera about McCarthy-era witch hunts silenced by a modern-day McCarthy.”

A “Cultural Coup” at the Center of Power

Trump’s inner circle, led by former ambassador and political ally Richard Grenell, now runs day-to-day operations at the Kennedy Center. The shift has transformed what was once a nonpartisan national arts institution into what critics describe as a “MAGA vanity project.”

Transparency has also evaporated. Financial and box office data — once routinely shared with creative departments — have been locked down.

“The lights are still bright,” one longtime staffer said. “But the soul of the place has gone dark.”

The Broader Symbolism

The Kennedy Center, built as a monument to American excellence and cultural unity, now stands at the crossroads of art and authoritarianism. Artists and critics alike warn that this takeover could mark a dangerous turning point — where political power dictates creative expression.

“Trump can’t stand what he can’t control — not the courts, not the press, and now not even the opera,” said a former board member. “This is fascism in formalwear.”

For many, the potential exit of the Washington National Opera represents more than just an institutional crisis — it’s a cultural reckoning.

“If the WNO leaves,” said one artist, “it won’t just be leaving a building. It’ll be escaping a dictatorship in designer drapes.”