In a remarkable shift in tradition, the Kennedy Center Honors will see former President Donald Trump stepping into a role historically reserved for others. On Sunday, luminaries such as Sylvester Stallone, iconic rock band Kiss, and legendary singer Gloria Gaynor will be celebrated at this prestigious event, with Trump taking center stage as the host. This marks the first time a president will move from the customary Opera House box to command the spotlight.

Since his return to office in January, Trump has frequently highlighted the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, named after the late Democratic president, as part of his broader critique against what he calls “woke” anti-American culture. This year’s ceremony serves as a platform for Trump to further connect with cultural narratives he often addresses.

Trump announced his decision to host the event back in August, mentioning he took on the role at the behest of a television network. At a State Department dinner honoring the awardees, he confidently predicted record-breaking viewership for the televised event, set to air on December 23 on CBS and Paramount+.

“I’m going to make a prediction: this will be the highest-rated show that they’ve ever done,” Trump remarked. He emphasized his belief that the upcoming ceremony will eclipse previous years in terms of audience engagement.

This hosting duty places Trump in a role previously occupied by notable figures such as journalist Walter Cronkite and comedian Stephen Colbert, the latter being a prominent critic of Trump. Historically, presidents have joined the honorees as spectators rather than hosts, and during his first term, Trump opted not to attend the honors at all. This change heralds a new era for the Kennedy Center Honors, merging political and entertainment spheres in an unprecedented way.

Since 1978, the honors have recognized stars for their influence on American culture and the arts. Members of this year’s class are pop-culture standouts, including Stallone for his “Rocky” and “Rambo” movies, Gaynor for her feminist anthem “I Will Survive” and Kiss for its flashy, cartoonish makeup and onstage displays of smoke and fire. Country music superstar George Strait and Tony Award-winning actor Michael Crawford are also being honored.

The ceremony is expected to be emotional for the members of Kiss. The band’s original lead guitarist, Ace Frehley, died in October after he was injured during a fall.

Previous honorees have come from a broad range of art forms, whether dance (Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham), theater (Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber), movies (Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks) or music (Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell).

Trump has taken over the Kennedy Center

Trump upended decades of bipartisan support for the center by ousting its leadership and stacking the board of trustees with Republican supporters, who then elected him chair. He has criticized the center’s programming and the building’s appearance – and has said, perhaps jokingly, that he would rename it as the “Trump Kennedy Center.” He secured more than $250 million from Congress for renovations of the building.

Presidents of each political party have at times found themselves face to face with artists of opposing political views. Republican Ronald Reagan was there for honoree Arthur Miller, a playwright who championed liberal causes. Democrat Bill Clinton, who had signed an assault weapons ban into law, marked the honors for Charlton Heston, an actor and gun rights advocate.

During Trump’s first term, multiple honorees were openly critical of the president. In 2017, Trump’s first year in office, honors recipient and film producer Norman Lear threatened to boycott his own ceremony if Trump attended. Trump stayed away during that entire term.

Trump has said he was deeply involved in choosing the 2025 honorees and turned down some recommendations because they were “too woke.” While Stallone is one of Trump’s Hollywood “special ambassadors” and has likened Trump to George Washington, the political views of Sunday’s other guests are less clear.

Honorees’ views about Trump

Strait and Gaynor have said little about their politics, although Federal Election Commission records show that Gaynor has given money to Republican organizations in recent years.

Kiss co-founder Gene Simmons spoke favorably of Trump when Trump ran for president in 2016. But in 2022, Simmons told Spin magazine that Trump was “out for himself” and criticized Trump for encouraging conspiracy theories and public expressions of racism.

Fellow Kiss member Paul Stanley denounced Trump’s effort to overturn his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden, and said Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, were “terrorists.” But after Trump won in 2024, Stanley urged unity.

“If your candidate lost, it’s time to learn from it, accept it and try to understand why,” Stanley wrote on X. “If your candidate won, it’s time to understand that those who don’t share your views also believe they are right and love this country as much as you do.”

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Italie reported from New York.