From Country to Rock: Trump’s Kennedy Center honors include George Strait, KISS, and more

As chairman of the Kennedy Center and the host for the esteemed December event, Donald Trump has unveiled an impressive roster featuring music legends, stage icons, and Hollywood royalty in a very showman-like style by revealing their portraits by pulling red cloths off and also doing it in person, which is in fact breaking free from tradition, as usually the Kennedy Center and CBS send out a press release to a few select outlets to announce the winners.

This also comes as a big change for the President, as in his first term, he skipped the ceremony altogether. He also stated that after firing many people on the committee from the Biden era, he was about 98% involved in the selection process and “turned down plenty.”

“They were too woke. I had a couple of wokesters,” he said.

He further told the reporters, “I’ve been asked to host. I said, ‘I’m the president of the United States. Are you folls asking me to do that.’ ‘Sire, you’ll get much higher ratings.’ I said, ‘I don’t care. I’m the president of the United States. I won’t do it.’ They said, ‘Please.’ And then [chief of staff] Susie Wiles said, ‘Sir. I would like you to host.’ I said, ‘OK, I’ll do it.'”

“It’s been a long time,” Trump added. “I used to host The Apprentice finales, and we did rather well with that.”

Who had been honored at the Kennedy Center?

Last year’s honorees included Francis Ford Coppola, Bonnie Raitt, the Grateful Dead, Arturo Sandoval, and the Apollo Theater, while Queen Latifah hosted the event.

However, this year, President Trump has chosen the winners to avoid “radical left lunatics.” Trump's list includes his longtime supporter, friend, and connection to Hollywood, Sylvester Stallone, who, according to him, wouldn't even want to be honored.

"Some people don’t really want to be honored, they don't care,"

Michael Crawford, the star of one of the president’s favorite shows, The Phantom of the Opera.

Trump also called Crawford, "one of the greatest talents I've ever actually seen."

George Strait, who was the first honoree and a veteran of the Country genre, along with the rock band KISS. He also added Gloria Gaynor as the only woman on the list, stating,

"'I Will Survive' is an unbelievable song … it's one of those few that get better every time you hear it."

He also joked about how he kept waiting to receive the honor himself but decided to become the chairperson instead.

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