Trump names George Strait, Sylvester Stallone and KISS for Kennedy Center Honors: Full list

President Donald Trump Wednesday announced his first slate of Kennedy Center Honors nominees. Rock band KISS, Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, country singer George Strait, and English actor Michael Crawford will receive the Kennedy Center Honors at a ceremony in Washington, DC, on December 8.

Trump visited the Kennedy Center today where he announced this year's Kennedy Center honorees after working to overhaul the D.C. cultural institution in recent months. "This is a very exciting project," Trump said. "We're going to do something that will go rapidly, relatively inexpensively, and we'll make it better than it ever was." Trump also said he would host the gala.

"The 48th Kennedy Center Honorees are outstanding people, an outstanding group – incredible," Trump said. "We can't wait to celebrate the Kennedy Center Honors."


ALSO READ: 'Trump clearly has dementia': Karoline Leavitt scrambles to fix President's huge error as rumors erupt

Trump teases name change for Kennedy Center

Trump during his first term avoided the ceremony after several artists vowed not to attend in protest. However, now as chairman, he has replaced the center's board of trustees with loyalists, according to NewsWeek.

On Truth Social Tuesday, Trump teased a possible name change for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, jokingly referring to it as the "Trump/Kennedy Center." He promised to restore the venue to "the absolute TOP LEVEL of luxury, glamour, and entertainment," noting that renovations were underway. "It had fallen on hard times, physically, BUT WILL SOON BE MAKING A MAJOR COMEBACK!!!" he wrote.

Months after Trump ousted several members of the Kennedy Center’s bipartisan board and appointed himself as chair—declaring the performing arts institution had grown too “woke”—this year’s honors recipients were announced. His unprecedented move prompted a wave of resignations from entertainers affiliated with the center, while others scrapped their scheduled performances.

ALSO READ: Kansas University receives $300 million record-breaking surprise from David Booth, among largest gifts in college sports

In a statement on its social media feed, the Kennedy Center said it is “honored” to host Trump, who will be visiting for the third time since January, and hinted that he would announce a construction project.

“Thanks to his advocacy, our beautiful building will undergo renovations to restore its prestige and grandeur,” the venue said. “We are also excited to be announcing this year’s INCREDIBLE slate of Kennedy Center Honorees.”

Trump has long been critical of the venue's condition, calling it in "tremendous disrepair" when he visited the site in March. The process for selecting this year's honorees remains unclear; traditionally, a bipartisan advisory committee has made the picks.

ALSO READ: Millions of US citizens to receive $1,390 stimulus soon? Check if you qualify and when to expect it

What is Kennedy Center Honors?

Founded in 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have long celebrated a diverse range of artists, with presidents from both parties traditionally attending the ceremony—putting politics aside for the night. That tradition broke in 2017, when honoree Norman Lear declined a White House celebration in protest of Trump’s proposed arts funding cuts. In response, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump skipped the event and stayed away for the rest of his first term.

Now back in office, Trump has taken an unusually direct role—appointing himself chairman, overhauling the board, steering programming decisions, and pledging to eliminate events featuring drag performers. His actions have sparked a wave of criticism and boycotts, prompting several artists to pull out, including the producers of Hamilton, actor Issa Rae, singer Rhiannon Giddens, and author Louise Penny.