US EditionTrump Hosts the Kennedy Center Honors, Breaking Tradition
President Trump hosted the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, personally selecting honorees and overseeing institutional changes amid a leadership overhaul and new award designs.
- On Dec. 7, President Donald Trump hosted the Kennedy Center Honors, becoming the first President to serve as host; the taped ceremony will air on CBS on December 23.
- After boycotting the Honors in his first term, Trump appointed himself board chairman, fired Kennedy Center president Ric Grenell and ordered a renovation during his second term.
- Honorees received redesigned gold medallions from Tiffany & Co. hanging from navy-blue ribbons, while Trump appeared on stage three times and used prerecorded videos to praise Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait, Michael Crawford and KISS.
- Kennedy Center staff and audiences face turnover, declining ticket sales, and ended LGBTQ events under Ric Grenell, Kennedy Center president, reshaping programming and symbols like the rainbow ribbon.
- President Donald Trump predicted the taped CBS broadcast will have the highest television ratings ever, saying, `This is the greatest evening in the history of the Kennedy Center`, though it was unclear how much of his 12-minute opening will air.
196 Articles
196 Articles
'Donald Trump Is In Hell': Kennedy Center Honors Warped By His Very Weird Vibe
President Donald Trump hosted the first Kennedy Center Honors ceremony of his second term last weekend, and one reporter in attendance described the night as "very weird."In a Monday article in The Atlantic, writer Alexandra Petri noted that she had always been "obsessed" with the Kennedy Center Honors in the way others may be fascinated by the Oscars or the Grammys, and jumped at the chance to attend the 2025 ceremony. However, she said that th…
'Donald Trump is in hell': President's 'greatest triumph' soured by 'very weird' ceremony
President Donald Trump hosted the first Kennedy Center Honors ceremony of his second term last weekend, and one reporter in attendance described the night as "very weird."In a Monday article in The Atlantic, writer Alexandra Petri noted that she had always been "obsessed" with the Kennedy Center Honors in the way others may be fascinated by the Oscars or the Grammys, and jumped at the chance to attend the 2025 ceremony. However, she said that th…
At MAGA-fied Kennedy Center Honors, Trump Returns to Television Roots
At Trump’s first Kennedy Center Honors, the president played host—and hinted at renaming the venue—while business titans, right-wing media stars, and members of his embattled Cabinet guzzled Taittinger and danced to Kiss.
The Kennedy Center Honors continue Trump’s vengeance on liberal Hollywood
President Donald Trump delivers remarks during the medal presentation ceremony for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors in the Oval Office of the White House on December 6, 2025. | Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images On Sunday night, President Donald Trump took to the stage in Washington, DC to host the annual Kennedy Center Honors. Presidents traditionally attend the awards, although Trump declined to do so in his first term. Now, after purging the Center’s…
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