Ben Folds testified before a bicameral congressional forum on Tuesday, July 21st, arguing that President Donald Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. undermined the federal arts institution and turned it into a “hyper-politicized environment.”
Folds was appointed in 2017 as the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, a role he stepped down from in February 2025. In his speech before Congress, Folds spoke for five-and-a-half minutes, describing how the nonprofit had long been a neutral organization before Trump removed board members, became chairman, and appointed supporters who overhauled the venue’s programming.
“Just as our efforts were beginning to make a difference across the country, in February 2025, the Trump administration staged a brutal board takeover,” Folds said. “For the first time in history, a president took control of the Kennedy Center’s programming and messaging. The firewall between politics and the Center’s nonprofit mission was eliminated. The result was a hyper-politicized environment. Gone was the apolitical sanctuary the Kennedy Center always provided.”
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Instead, Folds asserted, the new era of leadership has thrown the Center into chaos. “I think most of us understand that when you politicize art, you’ve got propaganda,” Folds said.
Folds went on to explain the difficulties artists face, whether they go through with performing at the Center or not. He gave an example of an incident that occurred last September, when fingerstyle guitarist Yasmin Williams was heckled by an organized group of conservatives after questioning changes at the Center.
“Yasmin had to endure heckling from extremists on the right while also getting grief from the left for even showing up to perform, treated [as] if she was a scab crossing a picket line,” Folds stated.
Ultimately, Folds said, “The takeover hobbled the Kennedy Center, broke its once proven successful business model, and disrespected its original core mission.”
Led by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tuesday’s hearing was titled “Monumental Waste: How Donald Trump Is Spending Millions Destroying American Landmarks.” You can watch Ben Folds’ remarks at around the 25-minute mark in the video below.