Washington — President Trump visited the Kennedy Center Wednesday and announced this year’s list of Kennedy Center Honorees, after his administration took steps to overhaul the D.C. cultural institution in recent months.
“This is a very exciting project,” Mr. Trump said. “We’re going to do something that will go rapidly, relatively inexpensively, and we’ll make it better than it ever was.”
The president said he was “delighted to be here as we officially announce the incredible talented artists who will be celebrated later this year at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors.” He added that he had been asked to host the 48th annual Honors this year: “I have agreed to host — do you believe what I have to do?”
The president then announced the honorees, saying the board selected a “truly exceptional class” this year.
2025 Kennedy Center HonoreesCountry music star George Strait Actor Michael CrawfordActor Sylvester StalloneSinger Gloria GaynorThe rock band KISS
“The 48th Kennedy Center Honorees are outstanding people, an outstanding group — incredible,” Mr. Trump said. “We can’t wait to celebrate the Kennedy Center Honors.”
President Trump announces the annual Kennedy Center Honorees, including singer Gloria Gaynor and members of the rock band KISS, during an event at the Kennedy Center on Aug. 13, 2025 in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Andrew Harnik / Getty Images
The Kennedy Center previewed the announcement Tuesday, writing in a post on X: “A country music icon, an Englishman, a New York City Rock band, a dance Queen and a multi-billion dollar Actor walk into the Kennedy Center Opera House…”
The Kennedy Center Honors, a televised gala, take place annually in December. The Kennedy Center Honors ceremony is directed and produced by CBS and airs on the network.
Last year’s honorees included singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, the Grateful Dead, composer Arturo Sandoval and the Apollo Theater.
Trump era at the Kennedy Center
In recent months, the president and his allies have broadened their influence over the Kennedy Center. After the White House accused the institution of being “woke” and scrutinized its finances earlier this year, Mr. Trump ousted Kennedy Center board members appointed by former President Joe Biden, replacing them with his allies. Soon afterward, the new board replaced the center’s chairman, David Rubenstein, with Mr. Trump, and Richard Grenell became the Kennedy Center’s interim president.
The Kennedy Center was designated by Congress as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy in 1964.
Along with efforts to reshape the center’s governing body and performances, the president outlined during a visit to the famed opera house in March that “we’re going to make a lot of changes — including the seats, the decor — pretty much everything. It needs a lot of work.” In July, House Republicans advanced a measure that would rename the Kennedy Center’s opera house after first lady Melania Trump.
The president said Wednesday that in the months since he became chairman, “we have completely reversed the decline of this cherished national institution,” claiming “it was being run down” and “money wasn’t spent properly.”
“With a little fix-up and a little work, we can make it unbelievable,” the president said of the space. “The bones are so good.”
In a post on Truth Social Tuesday, Mr. Trump said work is being done to bring the Kennedy Center “back to the absolute TOP LEVEL of luxury, glamour, and entertainment.”
The president, who broke with tradition during his first term by skipping the Honors shows after several award recipients criticized him, touted the “GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS.”
The president on Wednesday also mentioned another project — a White House renovation — and his effort to “fix up” Washington, D.C., including the deployment of federal law enforcement and the National Guard in the District of Columbia this week to address crime.
“I’m determined to make Washington safe, clean and beautiful again,” he said.
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