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Trump Hosts Kennedy Center Honors After Completing Takeover of Venue

HeadlineDec 08, 2025

President Trump hosted the annual Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday night after completing his takeover of the once-venerable arts institution in Washington, D.C. Trump even joked about the “Trump Kennedy Center.” The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was established by Congress and had been run by a bipartisan board since its opening in 1971, but Trump upended that in February when he moved to install his loyalists in key positions and make himself chair. On Sunday, CBS carried a live broadcast of the ceremony, in which Trump paid tribute to his handpicked award winners: musicians George Strait and Gloria Gaynor; the rock band KISS; actor Sylvester Stallone; and Broadway actor Michael Crawford, the original Phantom in “The Phantom of the Opera.”

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