Overview

• Trump named George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, KISS and Michael Crawford as the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors recipients and said he will host the CBS-televised gala in December.
• He said he drove about 98% of the selection process, marking an unprecedented presidential role in honoree decisions historically made by a bipartisan advisory committee.
• The Kennedy Center issued a statement saying it was honored by the president’s visit and that renovations are planned to restore the venue’s prestige.
• Some artists have reacted with concrete pushback: Hamilton producers canceled a planned 2026 Broadway staging in protest and Tom Cruise declined a Kennedy Center Honor citing scheduling conflicts.
• Proposals to rename part of the center and redesign medals underscore the symbolic stakes of Trump’s intervention in a traditionally independent cultural institution.