The musician resigned from his post as National Symphony Orchestra artistic advisor after the president overhauled its board in 2025.
Ben Folds testifies at the "Monumental Waste - How Donald Trump Is Spending Millions Destroying American Landmarks" congressional forum
Sen. Richard Blumenthal/YouTube
A congressional forum was held Tuesday (July 21) to call attention to Donald Trump‘s various “vanity projects,” one of which — the unprecedented 2025 overhaul of the Kennedy Center — Ben Folds was on hand to discuss.
During his turn to speak before lawmakers in the hearing presided over by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the singer/songwriter shared testimony of the changes he witnessed when he was still artistic advisor to the cultural institution’s National Symphony Orchestra. Ever since Trump booted a number of board members and took the role of chairman for himself in February 2025, the Kennedy Center has become a “hyper-politicized environment,” according to Folds.
