Donald Trump has dramatically reshaped the Kennedy Center Honors, announcing he’ll personally host this year’s celebration while declaring the 2025 class of recipients “perhaps the most accomplished and renowned” in the program’s history.
During a ceremony in the Oval Office on December 6, Trump presented medals to actor Sylvester Stallone, singers Gloria Gaynor and George Strait, rock band Kiss, and actor-singer Michael Crawford, while revealing his unprecedented level of involvement in their selection.
“This is a group of icons whose work and accomplishments have inspired, uplifted and unified millions and millions of Americans,” Trump declared during the ceremony, surrounded by the honorees in the Oval Office.
In a surprising admission, Trump claimed extraordinary influence over the selection process. “I would say I was about 98 percent involved,” he stated. “They all went through me… I turned down plenty. They were too woke.”
Presidential Takeover of Cultural Institution
Trump’s hands-on approach extends beyond the honorees themselves. Since returning to office, he has replaced the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees with Republican supporters who subsequently voted him as chairman — an unprecedented move for a sitting president.
The transformation doesn’t stop there. Trump announced ambitious renovation plans backed by $257 million in congressional funding. “We’re going to do something that will go rapidly, relatively inexpensively and will make it better than it ever was,” he promised. “It’ll be something that people are going to be very proud of.”
Each honoree received personalized presidential praise. Trump was particularly effusive about Stallone, calling him “one of the true, great movie stars” and “one of the great legends.” He dubbed Gloria Gaynor the “disco queen,” praised Michael Crawford as a “great star of Broadway” for his lead role in “Phantom of the Opera,” and described Kiss as an “incredible rock band.”
A moment of levity occurred when George Strait appeared wearing his signature cowboy hat for the medal presentation, which Trump acknowledged with humor before Strait removed it.
Breaking with Tradition
Perhaps the most significant departure from protocol is Trump’s decision to host the Kennedy Center Honors program himself — making him the first sitting president to do so. The event is scheduled to be taped Sunday at the Kennedy Center and broadcast later this month on CBS and Paramount+.
Why the personal involvement? Trump didn’t mince words about his predecessors. “I’ve watched some of the people that host. Jimmy Kimmel was horrible,” he remarked. “If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president.”
In his typical style, Trump made a bold prediction: “This will be the highest-rated show that they’ve ever done.”
The president’s enthusiasm for the Kennedy Center Honors appears to stem partly from personal ambition. “Since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have been among the most prestigious awards in the performing arts. I wanted one; I was never able to get one,” Trump candidly admitted. “I waited and waited and waited, and I said, ‘The hell with it.'”
The 2025 Kennedy Center Honors marks a striking evolution for the traditionally non-partisan celebration of American arts and culture. What was once a rare bipartisan gathering in Washington has now become another institution reshaped in the image of its most controversial chairman — who happens to also be the president.
