President Trump is touting the “great nominees” who are poised to be announced for what he’s dubbing the “Kennedy Center Awards,” teasing that his name could possibly replace that of the 35th president on the historic institution.
“GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS,” Trump wrote in a Tuesday post on Truth Social.
“They will be announced Wednesday,” Trump said.
The message from the president came months after Trump, in an unprecedented move that drew criticism, overhauled the Kennedy Center’s board and named himself its chair. Calling it an “American jewel,” Trump had accused the performing arts space — created in honor of Kennedy in 1971 — of being too “woke.”
It was unclear in Trump’s Truth Social post if he was referring to nominees for the Kennedy Center’s Honors, or if that hallmark event — which recognizes lifetime artistic achievements — was being renamed or reimagined as the “Kennedy Center Awards.”
A Kennedy Center representative did not immediately return ITK’s request for comment.
In past years, the Kennedy Center Honors recipients have been announced in the summer ahead of a traditional December ceremony.
Throughout his first term in office, Trump bucked tradition and declined to attend the annual Kennedy Center Honors after several of the awards recipients criticized him.
“Tremendous work is being done, and money being spent, on bringing it back to the absolute TOP LEVEL of luxury, glamour, and entertainment,” Trump said in his social media post.
“It had fallen on hard times, physically, BUT WILL SOON BE MAKING A MAJOR COMEBACK!!!” he said.
In June, the president attended the Kennedy Center’s opening night performance of “Les Misérables,” which was one of the first major productions to premiere following Trump’s takeover.
Last month, Rep. Bob Onder (R-Mo.) introduced a bill that would replace Kennedy’s name with Trump’s at the Washington arts hub. The bill would “designate the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as the ‘Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts.’”
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