Former President Donald Trump has announced his selections for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, personally naming this year’s honorees: George Strait, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, Kiss, and Sylvester Stallone.
Traditionally, honorees have been chosen by a committee, but according to Deadline, Trump was “about 98 percent involved” in the selection process, turning down “plenty” of potential candidates, saying, “They were too woke. I had a couple of wokesters.”
Why George Strait Made the List
Known as the “King of Country,” Strait is one of the most celebrated country artists in history. His accolades include:
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60 No. 1 hits
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120 million units sold worldwide
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33 RIAA Gold and Platinum albums
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70 million career sales in the U.S. alone
Other Honorees
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Sylvester Stallone — legendary star of Rocky and Rambo, and a longtime Trump supporter.
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Michael Crawford — renowned for starring in The Phantom of the Opera, one of Trump’s favorite shows.
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Kiss — with bassist Gene Simmons, who once appeared on Celebrity Apprentice.
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Gloria Gaynor — disco icon best known for I Will Survive.
Trump’s Remarks
Speaking at the Kennedy Center, Trump aimed jabs at Democrats, saying:
“I shouldn’t make this political, because they made the Academy Awards political and they went down the tubes. So they’ll say ‘Trump made it political,’ but I think if we make it our kind of political, we’ll go up.”
Event Details
Trump says he plans to personally host the ceremony, set for December 2025. The exact date will be announced later.
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