US President Donald Trump on Saturday evening hosted the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees in the Oval Office for a medal-presentation ceremony.“This is a great evening, it’s a great honour,” Trump said. “And I’m delighted to welcome to the Oval Office – the world-famous, most famous office in the world, most powerful office in the world – our truly exceptional 2025 Kennedy Center honorees.”Trump said the honorees “inspired, uplifted and unified millions and millions of Americans”, calling them “the most accomplished and renowned class of Kennedy Center honorees ever assembled”.Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell stood behind Trump as the President presented the medals. Grenell, who was appointed by Trump in February this year to head the centre, is also a special envoy to Latin America for the administration.This year’s recipients are actor Sylvester Stallone, singers Gloria Gaynor and George Strait, the rock band Kiss and actor-singer Michael Crawford, Guardian reported.The medallions to the honorees were “re-designed” by Tiffany and Co, Trump said. “They have done a fantastic job, they’re wonderful people – I know them very well because they’re right next to Trump Tower, I’ve lived with them many years,” he said.Trump never visited the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in his first term, and did not take part in its annual awards programme. But he has taken a keen interest in his second. Since taking office, he has ousted the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees and replaced them with supporters. He has promised to “fully renovate” the Kennedy Center’s infrastructure, and make it a “crown jewel” of arts and culture in the US.It was unclear how this year’s honorees were chosen, but Trump said in August when presenting the list that he had been “about 98% involved”.The Kennedy Center Honors programme and its series of tribute performances for each recipient is set to be taped on Sunday, and will be broadcast later in December.The President said in August that he would host the show, and Trump on Saturday set expectations high: “I believe – and I’m going to make a prediction: this will be the highest-rated show that they’ve ever done,” Trump said about Sunday’s event during the medal ceremony. “And they’ve gotten some pretty good ratings. But there’s nothing like what’s going to happen tomorrow night.”Presidents traditionally attend the programme, but none has ever presented the show, a fact Trump appeared aware of as well. “We never had a president hosting the awards before, this is a first. I’m sure they’ll give me great reviews, right?” Trump quipped. “No, we’ll do fine. I’ve watched some of the people that host. Jimmy Kimmel was horrible.”“If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be President,” Trump added.
