Donald Trump Hosts Kennedy Center Honors recognizing Stallone, Kiss, Gaynor and others
Sylvester Stallone, Kiss and Gloria Gaynor are among the luminaries celebrated on Sunday at the Hubody Kenners Honors, the first time that Donald Trump Honors the show, the first time that the President will command the stage instead of sitting in the box of the Opera house.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has made the John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts, called after democracy, a touchtone in a broad attack against what is being revived by anti-American cultures.
Asked how he found time to prepare for the event, Trump said he “didn’t prepare much.”
“I have a good memory, so I can remember things, very lucky,” said the President. “But, I just wanted to be me. You have to be yourself. Johnny Carson, himself.”
Trump said in August that he had agreed to host the show. He said Saturday in the Department of the Department of the Department of the Department of the Department of the Department of the Honoroes that he always does “at the request of a certain television network.” He predicts that the broadcast, scheduled for Air Dec.3 on CB and paramoous +, will have its best ratings ever.
Trump is taking on a role previously held by journalist Walter Cronkate and comedian Stephen Colbert, among others. Before Trump, the presidents watched the show alongside the Holoourees. Trump skipped awards entirely during his first term.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, one of several secretaries attending the event, said he was looking forward to hosting Trump.
“Wow, this president, he’s very relaxed in front of these cameras, as you know, and he’s funny, I can’t wait for tonight,” said Lutnick as he arrived with his wife, who is at the Kennedy Center.
Since 1978, the honors have recognized the stars for their influence on American culture and humanity. Members of this year’s class are traditional pop-cute standouts, including Stallone himself And stones and It is red Movies, gaynor for his song for women I will survive And hugs enough, its structure and showing smoke and protechnics. Country Music superstar George Strait and Tony award winner Michael Crawford are also honored.
The ceremony is expected to be emotional with the members of KISS. The original guitarist, Ace Frehleley, died in October after being injured in a fall. Genem’s genem simmons, speaking on the red carpet when he and other dignitaries arrived at the event, said the President assured him that there would be an empty seat among the members to remember.
Stallone said being honored at the event was like ‘the eye of the storm.’
“This is an amazing event,” she said. “But you’re caught in the middle of it. It’s hard to take it until the next day….but I’m incredibly humbled by it.”
Crawford also said “humbleness, especially at the end of the job.”
Gaynor said it “feels like a dream” to be honored. “To be recognized in this way is a milestone,” she said on the red carpet.
Previous Honoroes come from a wide range of art forms, whether dance (Martha Graham, Meryl Sond Cunningham), movies (Stephen Sond
Trump took over the Kennedy Center
Trump upended decades of bipartisan support for the agency by firing its leadership and filling its board of trustees with Republican supporters, who then called for a chairman. He criticized the plan of the center and the appearance of the building – and he said, perhaps jokingly, that he would rename it as “Trump Kennedy Center. He received more than $ 250 million from Congress to renovate the building.
Presidents of each political party sometimes find themselves coming face to face with the voices of opposing political ideologies. The Republican Ronald Reagan was there through Honoundee Arthur Miller, the Playwright who exploded the causes of freedom. Democrat Bill Clinton, who had signed the assault weapons law, honored Charlton Heston, an actor and gun rights advocate.
During Trump’s first term, many celebrities were openly critical of the President. In 2017, Trump’s first year in office, the distinguished host and film producer Norman Reed threatened to order his festival if Trump was present. Trump sat through that entire word.
Trump said he was deeply involved in selecting the 2025 Honorees and rejected other nominations because he was ‘too woke.’ While Stallone is one of Trump’s Hollywood “and compared Trump to George Washington, the political views of other Sunday guests are not clear.
View of Honorees by Trump
Strait and Gaynor have said little about their politics, although Federal Election Commission records show that Gaynor has given money to Republican candidates in recent years.
Simmons spoke highly of Trump when Trump was running for President in 2016. But in 2022, Simmons told spin magazine that Trump ‘criticized Trump for promoting racial stereotypes and racist public discourse.
Stanley from Sug Stanley accused Paul Stanley of a major effort to end his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden, and Trump supporters burned the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, they were terrorists. ” But after Trump was defeated in 2024, Stanley appealed for unity.
“If a candidate, it’s time to learn from it, accept it and try to understand why, it’s time to understand that those who don’t believe and those who are good and love this country like you do.”
