Trump designates Strait, Stallone, and KISS for Kennedy Center Honors; confirms his intent to host the award ceremony himself
Under President Donald Trump's leadership as the new chairman of the Kennedy Center, starting in early 2025, the center has seen significant changes in its governance and programming.
Trump has taken a more assertive role in the Kennedy Center's governance, firing the existing board of trustees and replacing them with loyalists [1][2][3]. This consolidation of control over decisions includes the nomination process for the Kennedy Center Honors, a prestigious award given to artists in various fields. Trump has claimed to be "about 98% involved" in the selection process [3].
The Honors nominees for this year include George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, Kiss, and Michael Crawford [5]. These nominees, while broadly consistent with past honorees, are under Trump's direct supervision [1][3]. However, the method of selection for this year's Honors remains unclear, as the bipartisan advisory committee traditionally responsible for the selection has not been mentioned [6].
Trump's takeover has also brought a more forceful stance on programming decisions. He has indicated he would intervene in programming decisions at the Kennedy Center and vowed to end events featuring performers in drag [2]. This decision has caused notable artists to cancel performances or events at the center in protest, including the producers of "Hamilton" [2].
In addition to changes in governance and programming, Trump has expressed intentions to renovate the Kennedy Center to make it a "crown jewel" of arts and culture in the United States [4]. He plans to bring the Kennedy Center "back to the absolute TOP LEVEL of luxury, glamour, and entertainment" [4]. Part of this renovation includes changing the building's lighting from a rainbow scheme to red, white, and blue [1][2].
There is also ongoing legislative activity supporting renaming parts of the Kennedy Center after Trump or First Lady Melania Trump [2][4]. However, this has sparked criticism from figures related to the Kennedy legacy and some artists [2][4].
Overall, Trump's leadership has centralized governance of the Kennedy Center and made its honors selection and programming a more politically charged and personally managed process, disrupting the center's previously bipartisan and more artist-driven traditions [1][2][3][4].
References:
- Trump takes over as Kennedy Center chairman, fires board of trustees
- Trump's Kennedy Center renovations and political influence sparks controversy
- Trump claims control over Kennedy Center Honors selection process
- Legislation to rename Kennedy Center parts after Trump and Melania faces criticism
- Trump announces Kennedy Center Honors nominees
- Method of Kennedy Center Honors selection for 2025 remains unclear
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