Donald Trump has made a major announcement; he will be hosting the next Kennedy Center Honors and his first order of business will be honoring himself. The next will be blocking out all the “wokesters.”
At a press conference to crown himself host, Trump boasted he was “98% involved” in picking the Kennedy Center Honorees for 2025. His selection process, he said, was proudly partisan — insisting many “wokesters” made the long list, but he personally struck them out. He claimed the Oscars’ declining ratings are the result of this same “too woke” problem.
Trump says that all of the choices for Kennedy honorees "came through me" and adds that he turned down "some wokesters" pic.twitter.com/W2ZLvy7lGv
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 13, 2025
The list of the individuals that are to be honored is now out; it’s Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, KISS, Sylvester Stallone, and George Strait. The list is fairly balanced and were it not for Trump’s inflammatory remarks about amending the list based on his political preferences, nobody would probably bat an eye. But like other state events before this, Trump has managed to turn this entire event about himself.
There’s also the small issue of Trump apparently always wanting to be honored by the Kennedy Center. According to Yahoo! the president told reporters, “Since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have been among the most prestigious awards in the performing arts. I wanted one, I was never able to get one. It’s true, actually. I would’ve taken it if they would’ve called me. I waited, and waited, and waited.” Trump added, “Then I said to hell with it, I’ll become chairman. And I’ll give myself an honor. Next year we’ll honor Trump, OK?”
There is still no official word on whether Trump will actually be included in this year’s list at a later time. But considering he also somehow grabbed a winners’ medal at the Club World Cup hosted by FIFA — we’ll have to wait until the final day to actually see how he intends to actualize his plan. For now, it looks like he’ll be waiting another year for the honor
Trump has been close to Stallone for a considerable amount of time and even hired him as a Special Ambassador to Hollywood, so the Rambo star being included in the list is not by any stretch surprising. And nobody online was truly arguing that any of the honorees were undeserving, but Trump’s statements about removing people for their political leaning raised quite a few eyebrows.
One user on X called the act “authoritarianism” and added that under Trump, America keeps sinking. Another user asked why the administration is not simply considering merit. One said the Kennedy Center has now just turned into a MAGA talent show.
Now choosing who is deserving based on political ideology.
— Gissur Simonarson (@GissiSim) August 13, 2025
America sinks faster and faster by the day at this point.
Still shocked we aren’t seeing more protests… feels like the American people have given up in the face of authoritarianism https://t.co/T5pOs4tjJP
Shouldn't the criteria be on merit instead of CULT membership?
— Denison Barb (@DenisonBarbs) August 13, 2025
Shouldn't the criteria be on merit instead of CULT membership?
— Denison Barb (@DenisonBarbs) August 13, 2025
Trump’s turning the Kennedy Center into a MAGA talent show.
— AnatolijUkraine (@AnatoliUkraine) August 13, 2025
No art, no culture — just a blacklist for anyone who doesn’t kiss the ring.
If Trump does get honored for a cameo in Home Alone 2 and hosting The Apprentice and other unnamed people miss out because of their political beliefs, that would truly be a blow to the arts. The disappointment isn’t just about the picks — it’s about how Trump’s divisive rhetoric once again drowns out the moment. On a day where the nation should be celebrating their shared icons — Trump has turned it into a gala where he only celebrates himself and his loyalists.
