President Trump announced on Wednesday that he’ll be hosting this year’s Kennedy Center Honors after prodding from his chief of staff, Susie Wiles.
“It’s gonna be a big evening. I’ve been asked to host. I said, ‘I’m the president of the United States. Are you fools, asking me to do this?’” said Trump, who named himself chairman of the cultural institution’s board earlier this year.
“‘Sir, you’ll get much higher ratings.’ I said, ‘I don’t care. I’m president of the United States. I won’t do it.’ They said ‘please.’ And then Susie Wiles said to me, ‘Sir, I’d like you to host.’ I said, ‘Okay, Susie, I’ll do it,’” the president recounted, prompting laughter from the audience.
“So, I have agreed to host,” Trump said, though he stressed he “did not insist” upon the job.
Trump was at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday to reveal the 2025 class of Honors recipients, including actor Sylvester Stallone, country music star George Strait, disco singer Gloria Gaynor, actor Michael Crawford and the rock band KISS.
He said he was “98 percent involved” in the process of selecting honorees, and appeared to suggest some contenders were turned down for being “too woke.”
“I turned down plenty. They were too woke. I turned- I had a couple of woke-sters. No, we have great people,” the president said.
Trump has also teased that his name could possibly replace that of the 35th president on the historic institution.
Queen Latifah hosted last year’s Kennedy Center ceremony, attended by former President Biden, as Trump’s return to office loomed over the event.
