Overview

• President Trump named George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, rock band Kiss and Michael Crawford as this year’s Kennedy Center Honors recipients.
• He declared he will host the December gala, marking his first presidential appearance at the event after artists protested his attendance during his first term.
• The president pledged a total renovation of the deteriorating venue to restore it as a “crown jewel” of U.S. arts and hinted at a formal renaming ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
• In February, Trump dismissed the bipartisan trustees, installed loyalists and assumed the title of Kennedy Center president in a sweeping governance overhaul.
• The Kennedy Center issued a statement welcoming the renovations but did not explain how honorees were selected, and some artists have criticized programming directives, prompting cancellations such as the planned Hamilton staging.