President Donald Trump today announced his first slate of Kennedy Center Honors recipients since taking on a new role as the institution’s chairman, a list that includes actor Sylvester Stallone, country music legend George Strait, disco queen Gloria Gaynor, the iconic rock band KISS, and British actor Michael Crawford. The selections, which the President revealed himself in a press conference at the performing arts center, mark a significant departure from previous years and signal a new era for the prestigious awards.
The announcement is a culmination of a series of dramatic moves by the President to reshape Washington’s cultural landscape. After removing several members from the Kennedy Center’s bipartisan board, Trump appointed himself chairman, a position he used to take a hands-on approach to the honoree selection process. “I was 98% involved,” Trump said, adding that he “turned down plenty” of candidates, including “a couple of wokesters.”
For Sylvester Stallone, the honor is a new chapter in a career that has made him a pop culture icon. The actor, screenwriter, and director is best known for his unforgettable portrayals of underdog boxer Rocky Balboa and Vietnam veteran John J. Rambo. His work in films like Rocky and First Blood have cemented his place in cinematic history and resonated with millions of fans around the world.
Stallone, a longtime supporter of Trump, has been a favorite of the President. In his first term, Trump had floated the idea of giving Stallone the honor and previously named him as one of three “Hollywood special ambassadors.”
The choices have drawn both praise and criticism. Supporters see the inclusion of figures like Stallone and KISS as a welcome democratization of the awards, which have sometimes been perceived as favoring more classical or highbrow arts. However, critics argue that the picks are a blatant politicization of an award that is meant to transcend politics. The Guardian, for example, noted that the list is “characteristically white male-heavy.”
Trump, who famously avoided the honors ceremony during his first term after several honorees said they would not attend a White House reception, announced that he would personally host the gala this December. “I’ve been asked to host. I said, ‘I’m the president of the United States. Are you fools asking me to do that?'” Trump said, according to a report in Al Jazeera. “So I have agreed to host. Do you believe what I have to do?”
The December 8th ceremony will be a major cultural event and a litmus test for the new direction of the Kennedy Center. For now, the focus is on the honorees, a diverse group of entertainers whose work has left an indelible mark on American culture. But with Trump at the helm, it is clear that the politics of the performing arts will be just as much a part of the show as the honorees themselves.