President Donald Trump presented the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees with their medals during a Saturday ceremony in the Oval Office, calling the group “perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class” ever assembled.
This year’s recipients are actor Sylvester Stallone, singers Gloria Gaynor and George Strait, rock band KISS, and actor-singer Michael Crawford.
Why It Matters
In early February, Trump fired the Kennedy Center’s president and chairman, replacing most of the board with political loyalists who then elected him the center’s new chairman.
The previous president, Deborah Rutter, was ousted and later replaced by Ric Grenell, who served as acting director of national intelligence in the first Trump term. The president’s direct involvement in selecting honorees and moving the medal ceremony to the White House breaks from decades of tradition, where selections were made by a bipartisan committee and medals were presented at a State Department dinner.
What To Know
Trump also announced he would attend Sunday’s Kennedy Center Honors program, marking the first time a sitting president would participate in the event after overhauling the center’s leadership structure.
The president said he was “about 98% involved” in choosing the 2025 honorees when he personally announced them at the Kennedy Center in August—the first slate selected under his leadership. The honorees had traditionally been announced via press release, and it remains unclear exactly how this year’s recipients were selected.
The new Tiffany & Co. medal features a gold disc etched with the Kennedy Center’s image and rainbow colors on one side, with the honoree’s name and ceremony date on the reverse. It hangs from a navy blue ribbon, replacing the previous large rainbow ribbon decorated with three gold plates.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump: “This is a group of icons whose work and accomplishments have inspired, uplifted and unified millions and millions of Americans. These are among the greatest artists, actors and performers of their generation.”
Trump on George Strait: “We can hardly imagine the country music phenomena without its king of country.”
Trump on Gloria Gaynor: “We have the disco queen, and she was indeed, and nobody did it like Gloria Gaynor.”
Trump on Sylvester Stallone: He called his friend a “wonderful” and “spectacular” person and “one of the true, great movie stars” and “one of the great legends.”
Trump on Michael Crawford: “Great star of Broadway” for his lead role in the long-running Phantom of the Opera.
What Happens Next
The Kennedy Center Honors program, featuring tribute speeches and performances for each recipient, will be taped Sunday at the performing arts center for broadcast later this month on CBS and Paramount+.
Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
