President Donald Trump announced the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees, whose contributions to art and culture will be commemorated in a ceremony hosted by the president later this year.
Sylvester Stallone, Golden Globe award-winning Rocky and Rambo action movie star; KISS, the monochromic face-painted rock band; George Strait, the “King of Country” singer-songwriter; Gloria Gaynor, “I Will Survive” disco queen; and Michael Crawford, the original Phantom of the Opera performer, are this year’s honorees, Trump announced Wednesday at the Kennedy Center.
“The 48th Kennedy Center honorees are outstanding people,” Trump said. “We can’t wait to celebrate the Kennedy Center Honors. It’ll be in December. It’ll be on CBS in a few short months.”
During his remarks, Trump underscored his reforms to the Kennedy Center since becoming its chairman in February and appointing Richard Grenell as its president and executive director. Trump’s changes to the Kennedy Center come as the institution has turned into a beacon of political resistance. During Trump’s first administration, artists said they would not attend the awards ceremony in protest.
“We have completely reversed the decline of this cherished national institution,” Trump said. “It was being run down. Money wasn’t being spent properly. They were building things they shouldn’t have built, that nobody wanted, instead of taking care of the great gem that it is.”
He added, “We ended the woke political programming, and we’re restoring the Kennedy Center as the premier venue for performing arts anywhere in the country, anywhere in the world.”
During the announcement, Trump repeatedly complained about Democrats before appearing to have a moment of self-reflection, saying he should not make his remarks political and then changing his mind again.
“They made the Academy Awards political, and they went down the tubes,” Trump said. “I think if we make it our kind of political, we’ll go up. Let’s see if I am right about that.”
Trump went on to promote this week’s federal takeover of Washington, D.C.’s, law enforcement, which was prompted by an alleged carjacking involving a former Department of Government Efficiency engineer known as “Big Balls.”
“You will see a big change in Washington crime stats soon,” Trump said. “People are feeling safe already. I’ve had so many calls. ‘Thank you, sir, thank you.’ They were afraid to walk out. They’re not afraid anymore.”
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During his opening remarks, Trump also quipped about never being honored by the Kennedy Center for his former reality TV show, The Apprentice.
“Since 1978, the Kennedy Center honors have been amongst the most prestigious awards in the performing arts. I wanted one. I was never able to get one,” he said. “I would have taken it. I waited, and waited, and waited, and I said, ‘To hell with it, I’ll become chairman. I will give myself an honor.’ Next year we’ll honor Trump, OK?”
