Donald Trump presented the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors with their medals during a ceremony in the Oval Office on Saturday. He called the guest appearance by comedian Jimmy Kimmel “horrible.” Trump said that if he can’t surpass Kimmel in terms of talent, then he doesn’t think he should be president.
“I watched some of the people who host. Jimmy Kimmel was terrible. If I can’t beat Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president,” AP quoted Trump as saying.
According to a report by Deadline, Trump also said, “We’ve never had a president host the awards before. This is a first. I’m sure they’re going to give me great reviews, right? You know, they’re going to say he was terrible. He was terrible. It was a terrible situation. No, we’re going to be fine.”
Among this year’s awardees are actor Sylvester Stallone, singers Gloria Gaynor and George Strait, rock group Kiss or actor and singer Michael Crawford. During his first term, Trump largely ignored the Kennedy Center and its prestigious awards.
However, since returning to office in January, he has made several changes, most notably ousting the board and replacing it with Republican supporters who elected him chairman. Trump also criticized the center’s programming and appearance, vowing to overhaul both. Each honoree received a new medal, designed, created and donated by Tiffany & Co., according to the Kennedy Center and Trump.
He also praised the group of artists he helped select as “perhaps the most accomplished and illustrious class” ever assembled.
(This is a developing story. More to come)
