US President Donald Trump hosted the 48th Annual Kennedy Center Honors, a first for a sitting president, where he showcased his “Master of Ceremony” abilities. While announcing the broadcast of the event, he joked about leaving presidency to pursue hosting as a “full-time job”.
Trump took to X and wrote in a post, “THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER HONORS will be broadcast tonight, on CBS, and Stream on Paramount+. Tune in at 8 P.M. EST! At the request of the Board, and just about everybody else in America, I am hosting the event. Tell me what you think of my “Master of Ceremony” abilities. If really good, would you like me to leave the Presidency in order to make “hosting” a full time job?”
THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER HONORS will be broadcast tonight, on CBS, and Stream on Paramount+. Tune in at 8 P.M. EST! At the request of the Board, and just about everybody else in America, I am hosting the event. Tell me what you think of my “Master of Ceremony” abilities. If…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2025
The honourees at the show were actor Sylvester Stallone, theater star Michael Crawford, glam metal band KISS, country music legend George Strait, and disco star Gloria Gaynor.
The Kennedy Center Honors, founded in 1978, recognises individuals for their significant contribution towards influencing American culture through music, theatre, dance, opera and film.
Trump’s name added to Kennedy Center memorial
This comes after the renaming of the “John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” to the “The Donald J Trump and The John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts” following a vote by its board of trustees, a move that prompted legal questions and criticism.
In a statement, the Kennedy Center said the vote was meant to recognise Trump’s role in reviving the institution.
However, the move drew criticism from some members of Congress, historians and members of the Kennedy family, who said that the board does not have the legal authority to change the name.
“The Kennedy Center was named by law,” said Ray Smock, a former House historian, in an email. “To change the name would require a revision of that 1964 law. The Kennedy Center board is not a lawmaking entity. Congress makes laws.”
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Congress designated the Kennedy Center as a living memorial to John F Kennedy in 1964, a year after his assassination. The law states that the centre should not be turned into a memorial for anyone else, nor should another person’s name be placed on the building.
