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On Saturday evening, President Donald Trump hosted a special ceremony in the Oval Office to present the Kennedy Center honorees with newly designed gold medallions. These elegant medals, a generous donation from Tiffany & Co., were awarded in anticipation of the prestigious event scheduled for Sunday night.
The ceremony saw President Trump, dressed in a classic tuxedo, personally honor a diverse group of distinguished artists. Among the celebrated recipients were country music star George Strait, Broadway actor Michael Crawford, disco queen Gloria Gaynor, acclaimed actor Sylvester Stallone, and the surviving members of the legendary rock band Kiss. These honorees were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the arts.
In attendance was also the President of the Kennedy Center, adding an air of distinction to the event. The presentation marked a memorable moment for the honorees, highlighting their significant achievements in the entertainment industry.
was also present.
Gaynor’s hit “I Will Survive” played in the Rose Garden as correspondents waited for entry into the Oval Office, the White House press pool reported. Kiss’s “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” and Abba’s “The Winner Takes It All” also played on the speakers at different points.
“It’s a privilege to pay tribute to the very best in American arts and culture, and that’s what you have beside me. They are incredible people. I know most of them, and I’ve been a fan of all of them,” Trump said.
“This is a group of icons whose work and accomplishments have inspired, uplifted, and unified millions and millions of Americans. This is perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class of Kennedy Center honorees ever assembled,” Trump said.
He then bestowed the medals on each member of the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors class, in the order of Strait, Crawford, Gaynor, Stallone, and the members of Kiss: Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, and the late Ace Frehley, whose daughter accepted the award on his behalf.
Trump hailed Strait as the “King of Country,” Gaynor as disco’s “First Lady,” Crawford as Broadway’s “Phantom” as an ode to his performance in Phantom of the Opera, Kiss as rock and roll’s “hottest band in the world,” and Stallone as one of Hollywood’s “greatest visionaries.”
The medallions are a new design from Tiffany & Co., as the Kennedy Center moves away from what the White House called “the tacky rainbow sash design of medallions past.”
Trump noted later at the Kennedy Center Honors dinner in the Benjamin Franklin Ballroom of the State Department that he will host the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday.
“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,” he said.
