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(The Hill) — The scene at the Kennedy Center Honors was reminiscent of its traditional elegance, but this year’s event was marked by a significant shift. Earlier in the year, President Donald Trump had initiated an unprecedented revamp of the Washington D.C. arts institution. In a historic twist, the president himself served as the evening’s host, signaling a new era for the awards ceremony.
“Welcome to an exceptionally significant evening—one that stands as a cornerstone in the American cultural landscape,” Trump announced, greeted by a standing ovation as he addressed the audience at the 48th Kennedy Center Honors in Washington on Sunday.
“This marks the first occasion where a U.S. president has had the honor of hosting this extraordinary event,” Trump noted proudly.
With a touch of humor, Trump quipped, “I’ll try my best to channel Johnny Carson,” as he praised this year’s honorees. The distinguished lineup included members of the iconic band KISS, country legend George Strait, the legendary “disco queen” Gloria Gaynor, acclaimed actor and director Sylvester Stallone, and Broadway luminary Michael Crawford.
“This is our nation’s highest recognition for lifetime achievement in the performing arts,” Trump said.
The Kennedy Center’s marquee event came months after Trump overhauled the arts hub named for the 35th president, accusing it of being too “woke” while booting several bipartisan members of its board and installing himself as its chairman. In August, Trump — who bucked tradition and skipped the Kennedy Center Honors throughout his first term in office — announced that he would host this year’s show.
Paul Stanley, of KISS fame and who was critical of Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, told ITK when asked about accepting the award, “America is a wonderful country because we can all have our beliefs and we can say what we believe. And beliefs change with different situations, so what I may have said about one thing may not apply to something else.”
“This is a celebration of the arts and what people have given to the general population. That’s what makes America great — is that people have different opinions and don’t get thrown in jail for them,” Stanley, 73, said.
In a tense exchange when his past criticism of Trump was mentioned, Stanley’s bandmate, Gene Simmons, told ITK, “Did I criticize? Of course. I criticized my mother — that didn’t go far. Criticism is the American process. There is no one, not even Jesus or anybody, that you accept wholeheartedly without any questions.”
Several of the night’s guests weighed in on the president’s turn as Honors host.
“He’s going to be fine. He’s usually kind of prepared if a little off the cuff. He usually knows what he’s doing,” said former “Frasier” star Kelsey Grammer. “He’s got a great ability to just keep talking. It amazes me. It’s exhausting,” Grammar added with a smile.
“Imagine the president of the United States being the emcee,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said.
“The president’s going to have fun,” Lutnick said.
As the finale of the Kennedy Center Honors neared, Trump praised the awards show as the “greatest evening in the history,” but predicted the consensus from the media wouldn’t be kind to his turn as presidential host.
“I guarantee the fake news is going to give me ‘horrible — he was horrible as emcee,’” Trump said.
Despite declaring when he announced the Honorees in August that no “wokesters” were among the group, Trump mostly veered away from politics as he presented the recipients both on stage and via pre-recorded video messages.
Trump did take a knock at his predecessor, telling the audience, “They tried getting [former President Biden] to do this, four years in a row they tried getting him [to host.]”
“He said, ‘I don’t think so.’ It would’ve been very interesting. I would’ve watched,” Trump exclaimed.
At another point, he noted that some of the presenters — including country duo Brooks and Dunn, Vince Gill and Garth Brooks — “probably” didn’t like him very much.
“All I know is they’re big, right? We want to make bigness. We don’t care if they like Trump. We want bigness,” he said to laughs.
As he closed the show, Trump said, “God bless the Kennedy Center and God bless the United States of America.”
The Kennedy Center Honors is poised to air nationwide on CBS and Paramount+ on Dec. 23.
