On December 8, 2025, US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrived at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, December 7. They attended the 48th Annual Kennedy Center Honors, making history as the first sitting president to host the ceremony.
Established in 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors aims to recognize artists who have made outstanding contributions to American culture and arts.
This year’s honorees include action movie star Sylvester Stallone, known for the “Rocky” and “Rambo” series, global singing sensation Gloria Gaynor famous for the classic song “I Will Survive”, rock band KISS, country singer George Strait, and Tony Award-winning British actor Michael Crawford.
On the red carpet, President Trump noted the uniqueness of this year’s honorees, describing the lineup as “unprecedented.” He stated, “I have been following this award for many years, and while you’ve had many outstanding honorees in the past, I believe this year’s lineup is truly one-of-a-kind.”
In August, Trump announced that he had accepted an invitation from a TV network to host the Kennedy Center Honors for the first time as president. Past hosts have included well-known entertainers such as Stephen Colbert, Queen Latifah, Gloria Estefan, David Letterman, and Walter Cronkite.
At a State Department dinner the night before, Trump expressed his confidence in the event, saying, “I believe this will be an unprecedented spectacle, and let me predict: this show will break the network’s highest viewing record—although their past ratings have been quite impressive, the upcoming extravaganza will surpass all expectations.”
According to the organizers, the full program will be broadcast on December 23 by CBS and available on the Paramount+ streaming platform.
This article is based on a report from the English edition of “Epoch Times.”