President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was “unanimously” elected as chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The move came after sitting president Deborah F. Rutter was fired from her post.
Trump’s election also led to further shakeup on the center’s leadership team, as artistic advisor of the National Symphony Orchestra Ben Folds, a renowned singer and songwriter, resigned shortly after.
“Given the developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today. I am resigning as artistic advisor to the NSO. Not for me,” Folds wrote in an Instagram post minutes after Trump posted his own announcement to Truth Social.
“It’s been a wonderful eight years working with Kennedy Center President Deb Rutter, fellow artistic advisor Renee Fleming, and the entire NSO staff, encouraging thousands of fresh new audiences to appreciate symphonic music. Mostly, and above all, I will miss the musicians of our nation’s symphony orchestra — just the best.”
Over on his Truth Social platform, the president shared news of his “unanimous” election.
“It is a Great Honor to be Chairman of The Kennedy Center, especially with this amazing Board of Trustees,” Trump said in a statement. “We will make The Kennedy Center a very special and exciting place!”
Trump’s new role came after Rutter, the Kennedy Center’s longtime president, stepped down after 11 years. At the time, the center announced that David M. Ruber would move forward as the leader of the board through September 2026.
On Tuesday, Trump selected his ally Richard Grenell as an interim executive director of the Kennedy Center in Washington. Grenell previously served the president as ambassador to Germany during his first term in the White House.
Of her departure, Rutter said serving as the center’s president had been the honor of her career.
“The goal of the Kennedy Center has been to live up to our namesake, serving as a beacon for the world and ensuring our work reflects America,” she said in a statement. “I depart my position proud of all we accomplished to meet that ambition. From the art on our stages to the students we have impacted in classrooms across America, everything we have done at the Kennedy Center has been about uplifting the human spirit in service of strengthening the culture of our great nation.”
In addition, Trump announced on Friday that he would purging the Kennedy Center of 18 board members, including its chair, according to the New York Times.
Folds has served the NSO as an advisor since 2017 and was the first person to hold the title.
