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Trump Becomes First Sitting President to Host Kennedy Center Honors

His hosting capped an aggressive overhaul of the arts institution, from board control to a redesign of the Honors medallion.

Overview

  • At the weekend events, he presented newly redesigned Tiffany gold medallions that hang from navy-blue ribbons after an Oval Office ceremony the day before.
  • He praised honorees Sylvester Stallone, KISS, Gloria Gaynor, Michael Crawford and George Strait, introduced their tributes and appeared onstage multiple times.
  • He delivered combative asides, criticizing Jimmy Kimmel, joking about renaming the venue and predicting record ratings for the Dec. 23 CBS/Paramount+ broadcast.
  • This year he removed prior leaders, installed a new board that elected him chair and secured more than $250 million for renovations as part of his wider remake of the Center.
  • Coverage also details staff turnover, programming changes and slipping ticket sales under the new leadership as debate continues over the Center’s direction.