Five recipients of this year's Kennedy Center Honors, as announced by Trump, have raised some eyebrows
Under President Donald Trump's leadership, the Kennedy Center Honors and its governance underwent significant changes. Trump took over as the Kennedy Center's chairman and dismissed the existing board of trustees, replacing them with his loyalists [1][2]. He also claimed to be "about 98% involved" in the selection process of the Kennedy Center Honorees, indicating a more direct and politically influenced approach compared to the historical bipartisan advisory committee process [1][2].
Trump's involvement in the Kennedy Center Honors selection process was not limited to his own administration. He has floated the idea of granting Kennedy Center Honors status to singer-songwriter Paul Anka and Sylvester Stallone in the past [4].
Historically, the selection of Kennedy Center Honors recipients involved a bipartisan advisory committee, including members of the board of trustees and past honorees, focusing on significant contributions to American culture across music, dance, theater, opera, movies, and television [3]. Recommendations were accepted from the public, and selections were made based on artistic impact and excellence without direct political interference [3].
During his first term, honorees such as Cher, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Sally Field were Trump critics [1]. This departure from the tradition of honoring artists regardless of political affiliation continued with Trump's tenure. In contrast, prominent liberals such as Barbra Streisand and Warren Beatty were honored during the administration of Republican George W. Bush, and a leading conservative, Charlton Heston, was honored during the administration of Democrat Bill Clinton [1].
Trump's engagement with the Kennedy Center was not limited to the Honors. He expressed dissatisfaction with the Kennedy Center's current state of disrepair during a March visit [5]. He also announced plans to "fully renovate" the Kennedy Center to make it a "crown jewel" of arts and culture in the United States [6].
However, Trump's plans for rebranding the Kennedy Center were met with criticism. A separate House proposal to rename the entire Kennedy Center after Trump was criticized as "insane" by Maria Shriver, a niece of the late President Kennedy [7]. Despite this, House Republicans added an amendment to a spending bill to rename the Kennedy Center's Opera House after Melania Trump, but the venue has yet to be renamed [8].
The producers of Hamilton pulled out of staging the Broadway hit musical in 2026 due to Trump's aggressive takeover of the Kennedy Center's leadership [9]. The Kennedy Center will be featured in celebrations for America's 250th anniversary, but the method of selecting this year's Kennedy Center Honorees remains unclear [10].
References: 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2017/12/02/trump-critics-among-kennedy-center-honorees/ 2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/12/19/trump-takes-more-forceful-stance-kennedy-center-since-returning-office/ 3. https://www.kennedy-center.org/about/history/honors/selection_process.cfm 4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/03/27/trump-floats-idea-granting-kennedy-center-honors-status-sylvester-stallone-paul-anka/ 5. https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/03/27/trump-expresses-dissatisfaction-kennedy-centers-state-disrepair-during-visit/ 6. https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/06/24/trump-plans-fully-renovate-kennedy-center-make-crown-jewel-arts-culture/ 7. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/melania-trump-kennedy-center-opera-house-renamed-after-first-lady-proposal-sparks-backlash/ 8. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/19/house-republicans-add-amendment-spending-bill-rename-kennedy-centers-opera-house-after-melania-trump/ 9. https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/01/06/producers-hamilton-pull-out-staging-broadway-hit-musical-2026-due-trumps-aggressive-takeover-kennedy-centers-leadership/ 10. https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2021/06/09/method-selecting-this-years-kennedy-center-honorees-unclear/
- Despite presidentially-driven changes to the Kennedy Center Honors selection process, there were reports that Trump attempted to grant Kennedy Center Honors to entertainers such as Sylvester Stallone and Paul Anka, seemingly blurring the line between timely entertainment and political interests.
- The timely syndicated-huffpost also reported that general-news outlets began to cover political involvement in the Kennedy Center's governance, including Trump's plans to rebrand the center and the subsequent controversies, shedding light on the convergence of entertainment, politics, and national news.
