Ben Folds, who served for nearly a decade as artistic advisor to the Kennedy Center's National Symphony Orchestra before stepping down in 2025, has testified before Congress criticising Donald Trump's takeover of the Washington D.C. arts institution. Speaking at a congressional forum on 21 July 2026, the singer-songwriter said the venue had become a "hyper-politicised environment" since Trump was appointed chairman, warning that "when you politicise art, you've got propaganda". His remarks add a prominent cultural voice to wider political and legal scrutiny of Trump's management of the centre.

Folds told Congress that politics had never previously featured at the institution, and that its purpose had been to "create, educate and showcase art for all Americans, not to further a political agenda". He said he could no longer be sure artists would be safe from retribution for criticising the administration on stage, citing singer Yasmin Levy, who was reportedly heckled at the venue after criticising its board. The hearing also examined the Trump-appointed board's attempt to rename the venue the "Trump-Kennedy Center", later blocked by a judge, and cited the takeover as one of several alleged "vanity projects" that critics say have wasted tax dollars, alongside White House renovations and a new Washington arch sculpture.