The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is an institution that was built to honor extraordinarily talented members of the entertainment industry. For half a century it has lived up to its reputation for excellence and pride in the creative pursuits that have defined American culture.

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For all of that time the Kennedy Center has avoided politics and the taint of partisanship. Until now. In February, just two weeks after his inauguration, Donald Trump announced that he was terminating much of the Center’s board and appointing “an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!” Because as president he didn’t have anything else to do.

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Now Trump is expanding his role at the Center by hiring himself to host the annual Kennedy Center Honors. It is a another job that any competent and rational president would never consider taking. But Trump’s massive yet fragile ego drives him to steal the spotlight at every opportunity. And since the ceremony is telecast on television, Trump could not contain himself.

In his announcement Trump pretended to have been recruited for the hosting duties against his will. Does anyone believe that? What he told the press was a jumble of ego stroking incoherence and fictional accounts of his having been persuaded to host. He said that…

“I’m delighted to be here as we officially announce the incredibly talented artists who will be celebrated later this year at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors. It’s gonna be a big evening.

“I’ve been asked to host. I said ‘I’m the president of the United States. Are you fools asking me to do that?’ ‘Sir, you will get much higher ratings.’ I said ‘I don’t care. I’m president of the United States. I won’t do it.’ They said ‘Please?’ And then Susie Wiles said to me ‘Sir, why can’t you host?’ And I said ‘Okay Susie. I’ll do it.’

“That’s the power she’s got. Do you believe what I have to do? And I didn’t want to do it. They’re gonna say ‘He insisted.’ I did not insist. But I think it will be quite successful actually.”

Trump announces he's hosting the Kennedy Center Honors

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-08-13T15:39:27.933Z

Yeah. that all happened just like he said. The guy who disbanded the Center’s board and made himself chairman had to be convinced to be the host. And that’s not all. He had an even bigger role in the selection process. The honorees this year are George Strait, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, Kiss and Sylvester Stallone. And while there can be plausible arguments for these individuals, they were not selected for merit. When Trump was asked what percentage of the selection process he was involved in. He replied…

“I would say that I was about 98% involved. They all went through me. They came over Rick [Grennel] and Sergio [Gor] and everybody. I turned dowm plenty. They were too ‘woke.’ I had a couple of ‘wokesters.’

Trump says that all of the choices for Kennedy honorees "came through me" and adds that he turned down "some wokesters"

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-08-13T16:16:51.144Z

For the record, in past years the selections were made by previous honorees and others in the entertainment field. But this year the decisions were up to the guy who hosted a reality TV game show and had a one-line cameo in “Home Alone 2.” So he chose a country singer, the star of his favorite Broadway musical, and a rock band whose lead singer is a longtime supporter. And by his own admission, Trump rejected people with whom he has political differences.

Remember, Trump has a hostile opinion of some of the most popular entertainers in the world, He famously declared that “I hate Taylor Swift.” He insulted Bruce Springsteen as “a dried up old prune.” He threatened to revoke Rosie O’Donnell’s citizenship. He called Charlamagne Tha God “a racist sleazebag.” And he has relentlessly attacked Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon as having “no talent.” Meanwhile his own popularity is at record lows.

It’s a sad for the Kennedy Center. But an even sadder day for America as the Malignant-Narcissist-in-Chief once again places himself at the head of the line for recognition, even diverting attention from the honorees. And that obsession with diversion is also applicable to Trump’s efforts to deflect from his unsavory relationships with child sex traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Unfortunately, we have not yet found an effective diversion from Trump.

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