National Symphony director to exit amid Kennedy Center fight

Jean Davidson announced she was exiting her position as the executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) on Friday, citing frustrations with President Trump’s controversial changes that have caused recent turmoil at the Kennedy Center. 

“It’s no secret that this has been a really hard year,” Davidson told The New York Times on Friday. “I started looking for a new opportunity several months ago.”

“I didn’t see how I could be effective as a leader in the current climate,” she added in her comments to the Times. 

Trump has directed a number of pronounced changes to the center since retaking office last year in an effort to leave his mark on the center.

In February 2025, he ended the terms of multiple members of the performing arts center’s board and named himself the chair of a new board composed of his allies.

Last December, he renamed the center to the “The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” which is being challenged in court. He then tiled his own name on the outside of the building alongside John F. Kennedy’s — whom the center was named after to honor the late president who was assassinated........

© The Hill