{"id":44933,"date":"2025-07-07T03:02:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T03:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/44933\/"},"modified":"2025-07-07T03:02:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T03:02:10","slug":"ben-folds-shares-why-he-didnt-stay-at-kennedy-center-to-combat-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/44933\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Folds Shares Why He Didn\u2019t Stay at Kennedy Center to Combat Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ben Folds reflected on his decision to step down as the artistic adviser of the Kennedy Center\u2019s National Symphony Orchestra earlier this year, telling MeidasTouch Sunday that it\u2019s a choice that he knows was right, but he still struggles to articulate why. <\/p>\n

Folds served as the first artistic adviser for the NSO from 2019 to 2025, but he resigned following the Trump administration\u2019s takeover of the Kennedy Center in February. <\/p>\n

\u201cI know I did the right thing,\u201d Folds said. <\/p>\n

The musician explained that while he\u2019s \u201cnot used to messaging this sort of thing,\u201d he\u2019s spent several years advocating for arts funding in the United States, but he could no longer remain in the role at the Kennedy Center because \u201cwhat I saw was an abuse of power, a very extreme one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was why I resigned, and then there\u2019s kind of the other question that I think people want answered, which is, \u2018Why not stay?\u2019\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n

Watch the musician\u2019s interview below:<\/p>\n

\t\tPlay video<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Play\"\/<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople might not realize how the arts work in the government, but it\u2019s very separated from the art itself. The government, artists and politics is separated with a firewall from what we say, how we say it, who says it \u2014 that\u2019s up to the people,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the firewall was breached in the biggest way. I mean, [Trump] let go of the board, which was bipartisan. Once the board was gone, installed loyalists, the loyalists came in and voted in \u2014 guess who \u2014 Trump to be the chairman, the head of the Kennedy Center.\u201d<\/p>\n

The situation was \u201calarming,\u201d Folds said, \u201cbecause now he can put, or they can put their fist on the scale of what is programmed, who gets to speak and who doesn\u2019t get to speak at our greatest arts institution, the Kennedy Center.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing I have a hard time explaining to people is why not stay and sort of fight it out,\u201d Folds admitted, turning to MeidasTouch co-founder and interviewer for the video Ben Meiselas. \u201cAnd I think I can really use some coaching on this because I know I did the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meiselas agreed. \u201cMy thought is, is that you don\u2019t want to be used as a puppet for the regime, and they\u2019re going to use someone like you with your distinguished career,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd they\u2019re going to say, look, Ben Fold supports me, you know, take a look at what Trump does.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat he loves the most is celebrity,\u201d Meiselas continued. \u201cAnd when he just has Kid Rock over and over and over again, he wants Ben Folds to say, look, here\u2019s an artist with kind of deep intellectual roots who supports me, and if Ben Folds supports you, you should too. So that\u2019s my belief about why you have to leave because you\u2019re just used as a prop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump was elected as Kennedy Center Board Chair in February. \u201cThe John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces executive leadership changes, effective immediately. At a Kennedy Center Board meeting this afternoon, the Board elected President of the United States Donald J. Trump as Kennedy Center Board Chair, replacing former Chair David M. Rubenstein. The Board also terminated Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter\u2019s contract and announced Richard Grenell as interim Kennedy Center President,\u201d the Center announced in a press release at the time<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cFourteen new Kennedy Center Board of Trustee members were also announced today including President Donald J. Trump, Susie Wiles, Dan Scavino, Allison Lutnick, Lynda Lomangino, Mindy Levine, Usha Vance, Pamela Gross, John Falconetti, Cheri Summerall, Sergio Gor, Emilia May Fanjul, Patricia Duggan, Dana Blumberg, bringing the total number of board members to 31.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t
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