Trump names Strait, Stallone and Kiss for Kennedy Center Honors and says he’ll host the awards show

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday named country music star George Strait, “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone, singer Gloria Gaynor, the rock band Kiss and actor-singer Michael Crawford among the first batch of Kennedy Center Honors nominees under his leadership as the center’s chairman and said he’ll host the awards program.

Trump also said he’ll “fully renovate” the entire infrastructure of the Kennedy Center to make it a “crown jewel” of arts and culture in the United States.

“We’re going to bring it to a higher level than it ever hit,” the president said, adding the venue would be featured in next year’s celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary.

Trump said he didn’t want to host the program but was invited to do so and agreed.

The Republican president avoided the Kennedy Center Honors awards program during his first term after artists said they wouldn’t attend out of protest. This year, he has taken over as the Kennedy Center’s new chairman and fired the board of trustees, which he replaced with loyalists.

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump teased a name change for the center, formally the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and said it would be restored to its past glory.

“GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS,” Trump wrote. He said work was being done on the site that would bring it “back to the absolute TOP LEVEL of luxury, glamour, and entertainment.”

“It had fallen on hard times, physically, BUT WILL SOON BE MAKING A MAJOR COMEBACK!!!” he wrote.

In a statement on its social media feed, the Kennedy Center said it was “honored” to host Trump, who was visiting for the third time since January.

“Thanks to his advocacy, our beautiful building will undergo renovations to restore its prestige and grandeur,” the venue said.

Trump complained during a March visit that the building is in a state of “tremendous disrepair.”

Trump, who had indicated he wanted a more active role in the selection process, said he was “about 98% involved” in choosing the honorees. He said he “turned down plenty” of names, saying those individuals were “too woke,” or too liberal. He described the artists he announced on Wednesday, including several of his favorites, as “great people.”