President Trump visited the Kennedy Center on Wednesday and announced this year’s list of honorees. “This is a very exciting project,” Trump said, according to CBS News. “We’re going to do something that will go rapidly, relatively inexpensively, and we’ll make it better than it ever was,” he added. The list of honorees includes: George Strait Michael Crawford Sylvester Stallone Gloria Gaynor KISS BREAKING: Trump announces Sylvester Stallone, KISS, George Strait, Gloria Gaynor, Michael Crawford as Kennedy Center honorees pic.twitter.com/uhYIZRUL9E — Fox News (@FoxNews) August 13, 2025 Trump will host this year’s Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. “It’s going to be a big evening. I’ve been asked to host,” he commented, according to NBC News. C-SPAN provided coverage: President Trump announces 2025 Kennedy Center (@kencen) Honorees: •George Strait (@GeorgeStrait)•Michael Crawford •Sylvester Stallone (@TheSlyStallone)•Gloria Gaynor (@GloriaGaynor)•Kiss (@Kiss) Full video here: https://t.co/alOKZjn4qV pic.twitter.com/3eirr0opFP — CSPAN (@cspan) August 13, 2025 NBC News has more: Trump, who appointed himself chair of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees earlier this year, said that he was reluctant to host when he was first presented with the idea. “I said, ‘I don’t care. I’m president of the United States. I won’t do it’. They said, ‘please,'” he said. “I didn’t want to do it? OK? They’re going to say, ‘He insisted.’ I did not insist. But I think it will be quite successful,” the president added. The White House did not respond to questions about what Trump’s role in hosting will look like, including whether that means he’ll emcee the ceremony. Past hosts of the Kennedy Center Honors include Queen Latifah, who hosted last year, and David Letterman, who hosted in 2021. Trump removed several members of the Kennedy Center’s board earlier this year, saying the performing arts institution had become too “woke.” “At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN. I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture,” Trump said in February. “We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP! Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP. The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation. For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!” he added. The Kennedy Center is honored to host a visit from our Chairman, President Donald J. Trump, tomorrow. Thanks to his advocacy, our beautiful building will undergo renovations to restore its prestige and grandeur. We are also excited to be announcing this year's INCREDIBLE slate… pic.twitter.com/ok0IFoHgkn — The Kennedy Center (@kencen) August 12, 2025 The Hill noted: Many entertainers exited from their roles at the center in the wake of Trump’s unprecedented move, with others canceling their scheduled performances. Past Kennedy Center Honors recipients — an award for lifetime artistic achievement typically given to a diverse group of theater, dance, music, and TV and film stars — include Aretha Franklin, Bono, Meryl Streep, Rita Moreno, Tom Hanks, Paul McCartney, Robert De Niro and LL Cool J. The awards ceremony marked its 47th year in 2024. Trump bucked tradition by skipping the annual ceremony throughout his first term in office after several of the award winners criticized him in 2017. He made his first public appearance at the Kennedy Center as president shortly after he seized control. The president, following a March tour, said he was “disappointed” by what he saw and vowed to “fix it up.” In June, he attended the opening night of “Les Misérables” alongside first lady Melania Trump.