President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that he would host this year's Kennedy Center Honors ceremony, his latest move to revamp the Washington, D.C., cultural institution in his image.
"It's going to be a big evening. I've been asked to host," he said Wednesday as he was announcing this year’s Kennedy Center honorees. Trump, who appointed himself chair of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees earlier this year, said that he was reluctant to host when he was first presented with the idea.
"I said, 'I don't care. I'm president of the United States. I won't do it'. They said, 'please,'" he said.
"I didn't want to do it? OK? They're going to say, 'He insisted.' I did not insist. But I think it will be quite successful," the president added.
The White House did not respond to questions about what Trump's role in hosting will look like, including whether that means he'll emcee the ceremony.
Past hosts of the Kennedy Center Honors include Queen Latifah, who hosted last year, and David Letterman, who hosted in 2021.
On Wednesday, Trump announced this year's Kennedy Center honorees, who include singer George Strait, actor and comedian Michael Crawford, actor Sylvester Stallone, singer Gloria Gaynor and the band Kiss.
Stallone, who Trump has referred to as a friend, was tapped by Trump in January to serve as a special envoy to Hollywood, which the president characterized as being in state of disrepair. Two months earlier, the "Rocky" actor introduced Trump at a Mar-A-Lago gala celebrating his election victory and referred to him as a "second George Washington."
As for the band Kiss, views on Trump vary among its founding members. Bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons, a participant on Trump's reality competition show "The Celebrity Apprentice" in 2008, is a supporter-turned-critic, backing the president at the start of his first term before souring on him for exhibiting a leadership style that Simmons said worsened political polarization.
Paul Stanley, the band's frontman, was an outspoken critic toward the end of Trump's first term, deriding the president's efforts to remain in office as “abhorrent” after losing the election to Joe Biden. Stanley later wished Trump a "speedy recovery" after the assassination attempt against him in July 2024, calling the shooting "an awful example of the state of the country." Founding guitarist Ace Frehley has referred to himself as a Trump supporter, publicly backing the president in both of his terms.
The other Kennedy Center honorees appear to have less direct ties to Trump when it comes to politics. Gaynor's 1978 classic "I Will Survive" was often played at Trump's campaign events last year, and Trump has praised the acting skills of Crawford, who portrayed the titular character in one of his favorite plays, "The Phantom of the Opera."
Strait, a country music legend, praised law enforcement during a concert hours after the July assassination attempt, with the singer subtly referencing the shooting in remarks to the crowd.
Since the start of his second term, Trump has often spoken about the Kennedy Center and the changes he hopes to make there.
In February, he abruptly fired several Kennedy Center board members and installed himself as chair of the board.
In a post on Truth Social at the time, the president wrote, “At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN.”
"Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP. The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation. For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!," he added.
On Wednesday, Trump spoke about his February decision, saying, "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."
The president also previewed forthcoming construction at the Kennedy Center, telling attendees at Wednesday's event that "with the help of Congress, we secured the critical funding necessary to rebuild the building," adding that the seats in the venue would be replaced.
"All of the seats will be taken out. The room is being completely rebuilt," Trump added.
Trump has also boosted an effort by a group of House Republicans to rename the Kennedy Center after first lady Melania Trump — a move that could potentially violate the law that created the center in the first place.
In a Truth Social post earlier this week announcing his Wednesday visit to the Kennedy Center, the president joked about the potential renaming, writing, "GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS. They will be announced Wednesday."
Trump has also sought changes at other Washington cultural institutions, including the Smithsonian Museum. On Tuesday, the White House confirmed it was conducting a review of the Smithsonian's museum exhibitions to make sure they align with Trump's view of history.
Trump is also overseeing major renovations at the White House, including the Rose Garden and the White House ballroom.
