Overview
- President Donald Trump awarded 2025 Kennedy Center medals in the Oval Office to Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait, KISS, and Michael Crawford.
- Trump said he will host Sunday’s Honors taping at the Kennedy Center, a first for a sitting president, and predicted the broadcast would set ratings records while knocking Jimmy Kimmel’s past hosting.
- The White House event replaced the customary State Department medal presentation, with new Tiffany & Co. medallions on a navy ribbon supplanting the classic rainbow design.
- Since January, Trump has reshaped the institution’s leadership by ousting the board, being elected chairman, and installing Ric Grenell; he has claimed about 98% involvement in selecting this year’s honorees, with the process remaining unclear compared with the former bipartisan committee.
- The latest changes followed Trump’s joking reference to a “Trump‑Kennedy Center,” as critics and some former insiders allege revenue and ticket declines under new leadership, claims Grenell has publicly disputed.