Overview
- Trump hosted a White House medal presentation for the 2025 class in the Oval Office on Saturday, honoring Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait, Kiss and Michael Crawford.
- The televised tribute was recorded Sunday at the Kennedy Center and is scheduled to air December 23 on CBS and Paramount+, with Trump serving on stage as host for the first time by a sitting president.
- Trump has said he was approximately 98% involved in choosing the honorees and rejected some prospects as "too woke," while the current selection process remains unclear compared with the previous bipartisan committee.
- Since returning to office, Trump replaced the Kennedy Center’s board with Republican allies who elected him chairman and secured more than $250 million from Congress for building renovations.
- Shifting long-standing protocol, the medals were presented at the White House rather than the State Department dinner, and Trump predicted record TV ratings while criticizing late-night host Jimmy Kimmel during his remarks.