1 month ago
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(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump volition big the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, the president announced Wednesday during a sojourn to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
This year's honorees see state euphony prima George Strait, English histrion Michael Crawford, histrion Sylvester Stallone, vocalist Gloria Gaynor and glam stone set KISS.
When a newsman asked astir his engagement successful the enactment process, Trump said helium was "very involved."
"I turned down plenty, they were excessively woke. I had a mates of wokesters," helium said.
As the honorees were announced, visitors to the Kennedy Center's website were made to hold successful a virtual enactment to debar it crashing.
"GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS," Trump said connected societal media up of the visit.
Trump, who did not be performances astatine the halfway during his archetypal term, fired the center's committee of trustees and the erstwhile seat earlier appointing himself arsenic a replacement.
In his societal media post, Trump besides referred to carnal changes astatine the center, touting a "top level of luxury and glamour." He did not stock immoderate details, though helium has shown a chiseled benignant penchant successful erstwhile renovations.
At the halfway Wednesday, the president touted the building's "good bones" and said the halfway would beryllium cleaned up, suggesting it had been neglected. He mentioned remodeling the seats successful the building.
"We're going to marque the Kennedy Center a crown jewel," Trump said.
Trump has steered the performing arts halfway toward much conservative-leaning content, including Christian-focused shows. During his visit, helium said helium enactment an extremity to "woke" programming.
Since helium took over, summons income person dropped, and immoderate shows, including the Broadway deed "Hamilton," person pulled retired of antecedently planned engagements.
On Wednesday, helium said the medication would beryllium upgrading the parks successful Washington, D.C.
"We're going to redo the writer with the finest grasses," Trump said.
Trump continued to beforehand his efforts to federalize policing successful the district, saying helium would trim transgression and accusing D.C. officials of lying astir statistic showing a alteration successful crime.
At times, Trump veered into governmental topics, including migration and his disapproval of Democrat-led cities, which helium has repeatedly disparaged.
Taking questions from reporters, helium said helium had heard of Russia hacking into the national tribunal strategy and said they are "very good" astatine that.
He besides said helium planned to conscionable with legislature Democrats astir the upcoming September backing deadline — but besides called it a discarded of time.
Trump expressed that a 30-day deadline for his national takeover of D.C. was excessively abbreviated and said helium would beryllium seeking extensions from Congress. If those did not happen, Trump indicated helium would state a nationalist exigency to proceed his efforts.
Regarding his efforts to execute a ceasefire betwixt Russia and Ukraine, Trump spoke positively of a virtual gathering with European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"I would complaint it a 10," helium said.
However, Trump said helium does not deliberation helium tin get Russia to halt targeting Ukraine.
He besides addressed his ongoing feud with Fed seat Jerome Powell implicit involvement rates and continued to onslaught Powell for refusing to little rates.
