President Donald Trump described the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees as “Some of the greatest of all time,” and offered them congratulations as he revealed that he would be hosting the performances Sunday night.
While speaking at the State Department Kennedy Center Honors Medal Presentation Dinner on Saturday evening to honor recipients actor Sylvester Stallone, legendary singer Gloria Gaynor, country music star George Strait, the rock band Kiss, and actor Michael Crawford, Trump thanked Secretary of State Marco Rubio for hosting the event.
“This is really much, really, look at it — pure talent, a lot of talent, [as has] ever been assembled under one roof,” Trump said. “We’ve done something that they’ve never done before, and I’ll be doing something that hasn’t been done before — the President of the United States is hosting, at the request of a certain television network.”
“I’m doing it because I feel it’s very important that we all get out and do something, and if that can make a difference that’s tremendous, but we have such wonderful people and I don’t mind doing it,” Trump added. “But, these are some of the greatest of all time. And, congratulations to all of you.”
Prior to the dinner, Trump presented the group of recipients with their medals in the Oval Office and described them as a “group of icons whose work and accomplishments have inspired,” and uplifted millions of people, according to CBS News.
Trump — who appointed himself the Chairman of the Kennedy Center earlier this year, announced in August that Stallone, Strait, Crawford, Gaynor, and the band Kiss were the next class of the Kennedy Center Honors recipients.
NPR reported that while “Sunday night’s gala will be turned into a broadcast special that will air on CBS and Paramount+” later this month, there are changes to the Kennedy Center Honor’s event. Changes included Trump hosting, which will represent the first time a president has hosted the event.
Trump was also reported to have broken “with tradition by personally announcing the names” of the recipients in August.
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