Updated Dec. 6, 2025 / 7:30 PM EST / CBS/AP
President Trump on Saturday presented the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors medals to this year’s recipients at a White House ceremony in the Oval Office, calling the group “perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class” assembled. The honorees are actor Sylvester Stallone; singers Gloria Gaynor and George Strait; the rock band KISS; and actor-singer Michael Crawford.
Wearing a tuxedo, Mr. Trump praised the honorees as “incredible people” and said they represent the “very best in American arts and culture,” adding that he has been a fan of most of them. He singled out Stallone as “one of the true, great movie stars,” lauded Crawford for his lead in Phantom of the Opera, called Gaynor the “disco queen” and described KISS as an “incredible rock band.”
The presentation comes after a year of major changes at the Kennedy Center since Mr. Trump returned to the presidency in January. He ousted the board of trustees and installed a new board made up of GOP supporters who then voted him in as chair. Those moves prompted some artists to cancel appearances and prompted staff resignations after the White House publicly criticized the center as “woke” and examined its finances.
Mr. Trump said he was “about 98% involved” in choosing the 2025 honorees and personally announced the class at the Kennedy Center in August. That differed from past practice, when honorees were typically chosen by a bipartisan committee and revealed by press release; how decisions were made this year was not clear.
At the Oval Office ceremony the president placed new medals—designed, produced and donated by Tiffany & Co.—around each recipient’s neck. The medallion is a gold disc etched on one side with the Kennedy Center image and rainbow colors; the reverse is engraved with the honoree’s name and the ceremony date. The disc hangs from a navy-blue ribbon and replaces the larger rainbow ribbon with three gold plates that previously rested on the shoulders and chest.
George Strait, wearing a cowboy hat, was first to be honored. As he began to remove the hat, Mr. Trump quipped, “If you want to leave it on, you can. I think we can get it through.” Strait then removed it. Outside in the Rose Garden, songs by Gaynor and KISS played while the White House press corps waited nearby.
This year Mr. Trump moved the medal presentation from the traditional State Department dinner to the White House. He also said he plans to attend the taped Kennedy Center Honors program at the performing arts center on Sunday with First Lady Melania Trump. The tribute show of speeches and performances will be recorded and broadcast later in December on CBS and Paramount+; the president predicted it “will be the highest-rated show that they’ve ever done.”
Historically, presidents have attended the Honors as audience members rather than serving as hosts. Mr. Trump said he looked forward to Sunday’s celebration.