President Donald Trump was the host at a banging Kennedy Center Honors event that aired on Tuesday.
The honorees were Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, Michael Crawford, George Strait, and the rock band Kiss. The honorees were so touched by the recognition.
"It's one thing to be celebrated like the premiere of a movie, but this was very emotional. I feel like this was almost an out-of-body experience. And to be celebrated by this president, with so many of our friends who showed up—we peaked."
— The Trump Kennedy Center (@kencen) December 24, 2025
Just after the final bell on the 48th… pic.twitter.com/1VoP1WjUqB
Just after the final bell on the 48th Trump Kennedy Center Honors rung, Sylvester Stallone reflected on the night’s proceedings.
READ MORE: Kennedy Center Honors Event Has a Special Host and a Rocking Good Time
Contrast that with the meltdowns this past week from people on the left over the Kennedy Center board who voted to add President Donald Trump's name to the title of the venerable institution. Former CNN flamethrower and now alternative media malcontent Jim Acosta had a tantrum out in front of the building, ranting that the name would come down after Trump left office.
Hot Takes: Dems Melt Down Over Kennedy Center Name Change - Ric Grenell Levels Them With Reality
There was one more action reported on Christmas Eve - that a concert planned for that day had been cancelled.
The show’s host, musician Chuck Redd, who has led the holiday "Jazz Jams" at the Kennedy Center since 2006, said he called off his performance after Trump's name was added to the facility.
"When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert," Redd told The Associated Press.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment. The Kennedy Center’s website lists the show as canceled.
Now, I guess Chuck Redd thinks he's sending a message to President Trump. But this cancellation doesn't hurt the president; it hurts the people who planned on attending the show. It hurts whatever fans Redd might have had who planned to be there. I never heard of him, but then again, I'm not a jazz aficionado. It may also hurt the people who would have worked the event. The concert was free, so it didn't cost the Center in that sense.
Does Redd care about the prior disrepair at the Center? Is he not aware of how Trump has helped to restore the building and brought in millions in donations? Trump helped bring in a reported record $23 million for the Kennedy Center Honors event, for example.
The left's reaction to this whole matter is typical. They care - suddenly - about the name because it's Trump. But most of them didn't care about the problems, and they don't give the president any credit for addressing them. This is similar to the left's freak-out over the ballroom. They don't care that Trump is getting a huge $250-300 million event space for free, that we - the country - will be able to use in perpetuity. If he cured cancer, they'd throw a fit and say we can't use it because he did it.
I'm sure the Center will have no trouble engaging someone else in the future for the Christmas Eve concert.
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