Trump names Kennedy Center artist honorees, previews renovations

President Donald Trump visited the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to announce the artists to be honored at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. Honorees include:

• American country music star George Strait, known for hits like “Amarillo By Morning,” “Check Yes or No,” and “Carrying Your Love with Me.”

• Award-winning British musical theater talent Michael Crawford, known as the first performer to play the role of the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera.

• Actor and producer Sylvester Stallone, known for portraying boxer Rocky Balboa in the Rocky franchise, and soldier John Rambo in the Rambo franchise.

• Grammy-winning disco singer Gloria Gaynor, best known for her enduring hit song “I Will Survive.”

• Members of the 1980s heavy metal band KISS, known for sporting long hair and elaborately painted faces while performing hits like “Rock and Roll All Nite,” “I Was Made For Loving You,” and “Detroit Rock City.” Honorees include the band’s founding members: Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley.

What else did the president say? Trump said he planned to host the 48th Kennedy Center Honors ceremony in December. The president, who became chairman of the Kennedy Center Board earlier this year, also mentioned several changes planned for the institution. The center’s woke programing has ended and $10 million has been raised thanks to generous private donations, he said. Congress also helped secure critical funding to rebuild the Kennedy Center building, which Trump described as run down. Money wasn't being spent properly but there are great plans to fix up the property inside and out, everything from the marble columns to brand new seats, he said.

Dig deeper: Read Lynde Langdon’s report on Trump skipping the 2017 Kennedy Center Honors after artists threatened to boycott the event if he attended.