Trump’s War on the Arts: Ben Folds on Resigning from the Kennedy Center + His Surprise Album My interview with Ben Folds MeidasTouch Network and Ben Meiselas Jul 6 By Ben Meiselas I recently had the honor of speaking with legendary singer-songwriter Ben Folds, and yes, it was about music. But really, it was about freedom. Specifically, the freedom that’s under assault by the Trump regime and its Project 2025 agenda. Ben Folds made headlines when he resigned from his role as the artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. Why? Because Donald Trump staged what can only be described as a coup of the Kennedy Center, gutting its bipartisan board, installing loyalists, and hijacking one of our nation’s most cherished cultural institutions to serve as another arm of his propaganda machine. Folds didn’t stick around to be used as a regime puppet. He walked. And in doing so, he sent a powerful message: the arts are not Trump’s to control. What we are seeing is fascism 101. We’re seeing cancer research slashed, weather forecasting gutted, emergency response systems dismantled. And to add, a full-on assault on the arts. These are not abstract policy changes. These are decisions that will cost lives and strip us of our humanity. Ben and I talked about how the Kennedy Center, originally envisioned as a rebuke of Soviet-style state control, has now been twisted into exactly that. He spoke about the importance of the “firewall” that once protected creative expression from political Editorial credit: 3 song photography / Shutterstock.com But Ben didn’t just walk away in protest. Before the Trump loyalists could take full control, he recorded Ben Folds Live with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, a record of what real art, untainted by regime influence, looks and sounds like. It dropped on Independence Day, a beautiful middle finger to authoritarianism. Definitely check it out. We ended the interview with a rallying cry. To artists, musicians, and truth-tellers: speak up. Now is not the time for silence. Now is not the time to fear losing “half your audience.” Now is the time to ask: who are you? What do you stand for? Trump knows the arts matter. That’s why they’re one of the first things he’s trying to destroy. So let’s keep fighting back—with truth, with music, with courage. Support independent artists. Support independent journalism. And never forget: they fear your voice more than anything. So use it. Watch my interview with Ben Folds above or click here. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.