Trump takes over Washingtons most glam night, will host Kennedy Center Honors
WASHINGTON — A tuxedo-wearing President Trump will host Sunday evening’s feted 48th Kennedy Center Honors ceremony — marking the first time a sitting president has led one of the glitziest nights of the year in DC.Trump, 79, who once dreamed of being a theater producer, will honor the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Kiss, and Gloria Gaynor at the star-studded event, capping off a year of big changes at the John F.Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.“There’s a big event,” the president teased last week, “at the Trump-Kennedy Center — excuse me, at the Kennedy Center.”Trump had named himself chair of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees and quickly purged all of former President Joe Biden’s appointees.The president argued that a major overhaul was required because of a prior decision to allow drag show performances at DC’s marquee cultural venue, among other concerns.“Kennedy Center is in tremendous disrepair, as is a lot of the rest of our country, most of it because of bad management,” Trump vented to reporters in March after personally inspecting the venerated cultural center.“This is a shame, what I’ve watched and witnessed.”On Saturday he crowed that it will be the first time that a sitting president has hosted the awards.
He said he’ll be criticized no matter what he does — but he’s confident he’ll be a better host than Jimmy Kimmel.“If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president,” Trump joked.Kimmel previously hosted the Academy Awards, and has been a frequent critic of the president.It’s unclear how involved Trump was with the process of selecting the honorees, but Stallone is a close ally and is serving as Trump’s ambassador to Hollywood.Stallone is being honored for becoming a cultural icon with movies such as “Rocky” and “Rambo,” while Gaynor is being celebrated for “I Will Survive” and Kiss for its flamboyant makeup and performances.
The ...