"His predecessors in the Oval Office had neither hosted the event nor involved themselves in selecting the honorees, but Trump has bragged that this year's list-George Strait, KISS, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, and Sylvester Stallone-"all went through me," adding that he rejected a "couple of wokesters." As for the hosting duties, the president claimed that he was reluctant to take the spotlight. "I've been asked to host," he said at an August press event for the gala."
"On the one hand, this is just Trump-who once said his "ultimate job" would be as a silver-screen-era studio head; who declared that having a reality show was "like being a rock star"; and who famously opined that "when you're a star...you can do anything"-chasing his lifelong fantasy of joining the glitterati. What he couldn't buy as a real estate developer, Trump can now commandeer as president."
Donald Trump purged Democrats from the Kennedy Center board, installed loyalists, named himself chairman, and asserted control over the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors. He will host the gala and influenced the honoree selections—George Strait, KISS, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, and Sylvester Stallone—while saying he rejected a "couple of wokesters." Trump framed his involvement as reluctant but sought the prestige, linking the move to lifelong celebrity ambitions and previous statements about stardom. MAGA allies support remaking cultural institutions, turning honors into political theater and elevating the president as the event's central figure.
Read at The Nation
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