Trump to Host Kennedy Center Honors, Highlighting Stallone, Kiss, and Gloria Gaynor
Sylvester Stallone, the rock band Kiss, and Gloria Gaynor are among the celebrated figures at this year’s Kennedy Center Honors, with Donald Trump serving as host. This marks the first time a sitting president will lead the ceremony rather than simply attend from a box in the Opera House.
Since resuming the presidency in January, Trump has treated the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts — named after a Democratic predecessor — as a focal point in his broader critique of what he calls a “woke” anti-American culture.
Trump announced in August that he would host the event. On Saturday, at a State Department dinner honoring the honorees, the Republican leader said he accepted the role “at the request of a certain television network.” He predicted the telecast, set for December 23 on CBS and Paramount+, would achieve record-high ratings.
“This is going to be something I believe in, and I’ll make a prediction: this will be the highest-rated show they’ve ever produced. They’ve had strong ratings, but nothing like what’s coming,” Trump stated on Sunday night.
The move places Trump in a role previously filled by notable figures such as journalist Walter Cronkite and comedian Stephen Colbert, among others. During his first term, Trump did not attend the ceremony at all.
