Trump 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.
121 Articles
121 Articles
Trump hosts Kennedy Center Honors with KISS and Stallone
Donald Trump made history Sunday as the first sitting president to host the Kennedy Center Honors, transforming what's traditionally been a dignified evening of presidential box-sitting into a full-on Trump production. As The Hill reports, Trump emceed the event honoring this year's recipients: KISS, Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait, and Broadway's Michael Crawford. — Read the rest The post Trump hosts Kennedy Center Honors with …
KISS, Sylvester Stallone among Trump-hosted Kennedy Center Honors recipients: 'I'm going to try to act like Johnny Carson'
It had the look of a traditional Kennedy Center Honors ceremony — but following President Donald Trump's unprecedented overhaul of the D.C. arts institution earlier this year and with the commander in chief making history as the show's host, change was in the air at this year's awards gathering.
Donald Trump Takes Center Stage at 2025 Kennedy Center Honors Featuring Awards for KISS, Gloria Gaynor & More
What a difference a second term makes. After boycotting the Kennedy Center Honors during his first term, President Donald Trump — who also now serves as chairman of the vaunted performing arts house — broke with tradition and became the first President to host the annual gala during its 48th incarnation on Sunday (Dec. 7). While the acting President traditionally sits in the balcony with the honorees, Trump took the stage three times during t…
U.S. presidents usually sit in the audience at the annual Kennedy Prize award ceremony. Donald Trump, however, not only awarded the medals this year – he also moderated the event.
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