WASHINGTON — A tuxedo-wearing President Trump will host Sunday evening’s feted 48th Kennedy Center Honors ceremony — marking the first time a sitting president has led one of the glitziest nights of the year in DC.
Trump, 79, who once dreamed of being a theater producer, will honor the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Kiss, and Gloria Gaynor at the star-studded event, capping off a year of big changes at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
“There’s a big event,” the president teased last week, “at the Trump-Kennedy Center — excuse me, at the Kennedy Center.”
Trump had named himself chair of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees and quickly purged all of former President Joe Biden’s appointees.
The president argued that a major overhaul was required because of a prior decision to allow drag show performances at DC’s marquee cultural venue, among other concerns.
“Kennedy Center is in tremendous disrepair, as is a lot of the rest of our country, most of it because of bad management,” Trump vented to reporters in March after personally inspecting the venerated cultural center.
“This is a shame, what I’ve watched and witnessed.”
On Saturday he crowed that it will be the first time that a sitting president has hosted the awards. He said he’ll be criticized no matter what he does — but he’s confident he’ll be a better host than Jimmy Kimmel.
“If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president,” Trump joked.
Kimmel previously hosted the Academy Awards, and has been a frequent critic of the president.
It’s unclear how involved Trump was with the process of selecting the honorees, but Stallone is a close ally and is serving as Trump’s ambassador to Hollywood.
Stallone is being honored for becoming a cultural icon with movies such as “Rocky” and “Rambo,” while Gaynor is being celebrated for “I Will Survive” and Kiss for its flamboyant makeup and performances.
The 48th Kennedy Center Honors ceremony comes on the heels of the death of Kiss’ original lead guitarist Ace Frehley, who died in October from injuries after he fell.
British actor Michael Crawford and country music superstar George Strait are also being celebrated at the feted event.
“It’s going to be something that I believe, and I’m going to make a prediction: This will be the highest-rated show that they’ve ever done,” Trump teased on Saturday.
“They’ve gotten some pretty good ratings, but there’s nothing like what’s going to happen.”
The president honored the acclaimed performers during a brief ceremony in the Oval Office on Saturday, the eve of the ritzy dinner.
The president had notched some $250 million from Congress to renovate the sprawling complex.
Among the myriad of changes made so far, Trump’s team revamped the prior award design, which entailed a rainbow-patterned sash laced with three gold medals, to a sleeker gold and rainbow medal.
The splashy gathering to recognize stars for their impact on American arts and culture has been an annual staple in Washington, DC, since 1978.
While Trump had shunned the event during his first term, presidents have attended rather than emceeing it.
The show will air on CBS and Paramount+ on Dec. 23 at 8 p.m. ET.
