Brian Stelter (and Ben Folds) Lament MAGA ‘Authoritarianism’ In Entertainment – Twitchy

The left sure loves to clutch their pearls at the slightest possible dent in their previously unrivaled dominance in spheres like the entertainment industry. 

We saw this when the wonderful Angel Studios started making popular movies, including Sound Of Freedom, which was a true story about hero Tim Ballard (played by Jim Caviezel) and his lifelong mission to fight against child trafficking. Rolling Stone responded by calling the film ‘a superhero movie for dads with brainworms.’ 

Similarly, when President Trump recently took over as chair of the Kennedy Center Board of Directors, his proposals were pretty modest, just to renovate the historic theater and to add in some — some — performances that didn’t cater exclusively to the left. Immediately, that same left stated throwing hissy fits, with The Daily Beast calling such ideas ‘bonkers’ and current Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller canceling all future performances of the musical. 

And don’t even get us started about the insane ‘performative dance’ protests outside the Kennedy Center. 

Yesterday, CBS News ran another hit piece about Trump’s chairmanship of the Kennedy Center, and brain-dead potato Brian Stelter couldn’t help but post a quote from the piece given by musician Ben Folds. 

Ben Folds: “There is an instinct, an authoritarian instinct, that is true in all authoritarian times in history: Take control of the culture, take control of the arts early on.” https://t.co/mwfVgTdm6s

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) March 30, 2025

We’re not sure why Stelter is using his Twitter account to post quotes from other leftists, but this seems to be his new schtick. He may be doing it so he can say, ‘It wasn’t me, it was just Ben Folds who said that’ when he received his inevitable ratio.

Nice try, Tater. You included that quote for a reason, and we can all see right through you. 

As for Folds, he had resigned in protest from his position as an advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra, saying that the artists could not feel ‘safe’ anymore before going into his diatribe about ‘authoritarianism.’

Give us a break. 

*Libs control culture for decades on end with near totally hegemony, enforcing their ideology on everything

Trump: “Lets fix those columns outside the Kennedy Center.”

Libs: “Look at his authoritarian instinct to control culture!” https://t.co/zaYqjCuZI6

— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) March 30, 2025

This is what the left always does. Because THEY are the authoritarians. 

The same thing has happened with X, which even CNN admits is currently evenly balanced between right and left. But since the left doesn’t control it completely anymore, to them it is now just ‘Elon Musk’s Nazi, right-wing, authoritarian platform.’

I’m telling you guys, they simply cannot hear what they sound like to anyone outside their group. Cannot imagine anyone cocking an eyebrow over an American liberal worrying about a group taking control of the arts. https://t.co/36WF9ASDD0

— John Carney (@carney) March 31, 2025

No, they absolutely do not hear what they sound like. But X was happy to tell Stelter all about it. 

LOL. As if the team all y’all do propaganda for doesn’t have an absolute STRANGLEHOLD on the arts and the culture.

— Mollie (@MZHemingway) March 30, 2025

They are never happy unless they have 100 percent control of everything. 

So sick of nothing but ENDLESS maga shows on my television. Is there a single liberal artist left in America?

— Jarvis (@jarvis_best) March 30, 2025

HA. 

Nope. They’re all gone. Project 2025 hunted all the liberal artists down and sent them to labor camps in Greenland. 

https://t.co/xnJVqsgy4G pic.twitter.com/czds0L1VBP

— The🐰FOO (@PolitiBunny) March 30, 2025

LOL. That kind of sums up Potato in a nutshell. 

The irony of the left complaining about ‘authoritarianism’ was also completely lost on Stelter (and on Folds).

An incredible thing for progressives to say. https://t.co/oNvSc2uRGY

— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) March 30, 2025

It’s like they have no idea what was going on for the last 3 decades https://t.co/xZcDlZx8iY

— Jay Asliken 🕋☪️✈️ (@assliken) March 30, 2025

You mean like Democrats?

— TheMorningSpew2 (@TheMorningSpew2) March 30, 2025

So what the fascist “progressives” did for 30 years. Got it.

— Lady Hecate (@hecate40) March 30, 2025

If there are people in the entertainment industry who do not feel ‘safe,’ certainly not safe enough to speak their minds, it absolutely is not anyone on the left. Outspoken conservatives have been blackballed in the industry for decades. 

But again, projection is one of the left’s favorite tactics. 

The fact that Stelter can share this take without at least mentioning why it’s incredibly stupid is not unexpected. https://t.co/nhoZmDZm4x

— Doug Powers (@ThePowersThatBe) March 30, 2025

What can we say? Spuds are gonna’ spud. 

🎵 Trump’s a brick and I’m quitting right now
Off the board and I’m heading out there
Trump’s a brick and I’m quitting right now
*mournful piano* 🎵 https://t.co/6mi4TmXBCZ

— Aelfred The Great (@aelfred_D) March 30, 2025

For those who don’t get that reference, this is a takeoff on one of Folds’ popular songs, ‘Brick,’ which is about how abortion is incredibly sad and a tragedy. 

How ironic.

Yes as we know, the Trump administration has now taken over complete control of the arts, meaning the entire entertainment, music and movie industry is now exclusively made up of far right Trump supporters https://t.co/rEyjcQGY8A

— Ian Miller (@ianmSC) March 30, 2025

Just look at all of the Hollywood films in production right now about how Trump survived two assassination attempts. 

Oh, wait. There aren’t any. 

(But if there ever are, Nick Searcy should definitely play Trump. Or maybe Shane Gillis.)

You have finally done the impossible — achieved a level of self-awareness so low that it’s not just zero, and not just negative, but requires entirely new branches of hyper-negative mathematics to describe.

— Geoffrey Miller (@primalpoly) March 30, 2025

If Stelter is remembered for anything other than being a walking tater, it will be for his uncanny ability to set new record lows for self-awareness every time he opens his mouth.

So it’s only authoritarian when the right does it?

— Agility Dog Mom (@MorkieMamma) March 31, 2025

Hey, (D)ifferent rules and all, you know.

When the left tajes control of all culture institutions, it is right. When the right try to take a sliver of them, it is like Hitler https://t.co/6ixhfRjv8N

— Robert Marcano (@robmv) March 30, 2025

And Trump doesn’t even want to ‘take control’ of everything at The Kennedy Center. He just wants to renovate it, make it operate better, and add some performances that aren’t completely woke. 

But, as with everything else, not having complete, unfettered power is unacceptable to the left. 

This is the level of idiocy we have come to expect from Stelter, however. 

As for Ben Folds, he’s a really good musician. 

But as a political commentator with any level of self-awareness, well … he’s a really good musician. 

Editor’s Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie.  

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