Trump gave Kennedy Centre Honours to Sylvester Stallone, the members of Kiss and Gloria Gaynor – in addition to an enormous determine in musical theatre who was a family identify within the UK within the Nineteen Seventies
Donald Trump gave a medal to a British sitcom icon and large determine in musical theatre at a deeply bizarre Oval Office ceremony tonight.
In the early months of his second Presidency, Trump set his sights on a takeover of the Kennedy Centre, considered one of America’s foremost organisations for the performing arts. He ousted the board, rewrote the programme to be much less “woke” and took management of the annual Kennedy Centre Honours.
The Honours are normally an A-list affair – and former honourees have included Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney, Jack Nicholson, Robert Ne Dior, Clint Eastwood, Barbara Streisand, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Katharine Hepburn, Julie Andrews, Tony Bennett, Bruce Springsteen – the checklist goes on.
This yr it is gone a little bit in another way. Prior to the Trumpification of the centre, there was a months lengthy judging course of to give you every year’s honourees. This yr, Trump selected them himself.
They embrace Sylvester Stallone, the band Kiss, nation singer George Strait, Gloria Gaynor and British actor and singer Michael Crawford, recognized finest for portraying hapless and accident-prone manchild Frank Spencer in Some Mother’s Do Ave Em, and originating the titular Phantom of the Opera in Trump’s favorite musical.
The medals themselves will change. The iconic rainbow ribbon with gold hyperlinks, which up till this yr had been made by a household of artists for many years, have been dumped in favour of a gaudy gold medal made by (sigh), Tiffany&Co.
And there will be an enormous change to the ceremony, too. No longer will an enormous Hollywood star be giving out the gongs. No, no. The President of the United States himself is claimed to be conducting the ceremony tomorrow.
Tonight, in a quick ceremony within the Oval Office, Trump formally handed out the medallions to the winners. The three surviving founding members of Kiss – together with the daughter of guitarist Ace Frehley who died in October – Gaynor, Stallone and Strait all appeared to have Trump put a medal spherical their neck – together with Crawford.
Crawford, 83, shot to fame within the Nineteen Seventies within the sitcom Some Mother’s Do Ave ‘Em, which recurrently attracted 25 million viewers – about 5 instances as many as watch Strictly each week right this moment.
He then shocked many followers when he was solid as Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s mega hit musical, proving he not solely had comedy chops however one of many all-time best voices in Musicals.
Trump mentioned the group of “unbelievable individuals” signify the “best in American arts and tradition” and that, “I’ve been a fan of all of them.”
“This is a gaggle of icons whose work and accomplishments have impressed, uplifted and unified tens of millions and tens of millions of Americans,” mentioned a tuxedo-clad Trump. “This is probably essentially the most completed and famend class of Kennedy Center Honorees ever assembled.”
The president positioned round every honoree’s neck a brand new medal that was designed, created and donated by jeweler Tiffany & Co., in response to the Kennedy Center and Trump.
It’s a gold disc etched on one facet with the Kennedy Center’s picture and rainbow colours. The honoree’s identify seems on the reverse facet with the date of the ceremony. The medallion hangs from a navy blue ribbon and replaces a big rainbow ribbon adorned with three gold plates that rested on the honoree’s shoulders and chest.
Strait, carrying a cowboy hat, was first to obtain his medal. When the nation singer began to take off the hat, Trump mentioned, “If you need to go away it on, you possibly can. I believe we will get it by way of.” But Strait took it off.
Songs by honorees Gaynor and Kiss performed within the Rose Garden simply outdoors the Oval Office as members of the White House press corps waited close by to be admitted.
The president mentioned in August that he was “about 98% concerned” in selecting the 2025 honorees when he personally introduced them on the Kennedy Center, the primary slate chosen below his management. The honorees historically had been introduced by press launch.
It was unclear how they had been chosen. Before Trump, it fell to a bipartisan choice committee.
Later Saturday, after the Oval Office occasion, Trump was scheduled to attend an annual State Department dinner for the honorees. In years previous, the honorees would obtain their medallions on the dinner however Trump has moved the ceremony to the White House.
Trump spent a number of hours on the Kennedy Center on Friday. He participated within the FIFA World Cup draw for 2026 and accepted its inaugural peace prize. Trump additionally met in a gaggle with the leaders of Canada and Mexico.
