Pelosi Receives Standing Ovation During Kennedy Center Honors Ceremony

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) reportedly got a standing ovation at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony in Washington, DC, on Sunday.

In his remarks to the audience, Kennedy Center Board Chairman David Rubenstein noted  a record number of lawmakers were in attendance at the gala to celebrate five honorees for their lifetime artistic achievements, according to the Hill.

“We have more leaders of our government than I’ve ever seen at a Kennedy Center Honors,” he said.

Quiet applause emanated from the crowd as Rubenstein acknowledged members of the Trump administration cabinet which included Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. 

“We have over 40 members of Congress here tonight,” the chairman continued, “I can’t mention you all, but let me just mention the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.” 

The audience then rose as one with cheers and applause to acknowledge the Speaker.

For the third year in a row, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were noticeably absent from the celebration, according to ABC News.

The report continued:

Once again, the attendance of President Donald Trump was a topic of speculation until the White House said Friday that neither he nor first lady Melania Trump would attend. Trump skipped the past two celebrations; in 2017, multiple recipients threatened to boycott the event if he attended.

At the ceremony, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and singer Linda Ronstadt, an outspoken Trump critic, reportedly exchanged heated words when Pompeo referenced Ronstadt’s song, “When Will I Be Loved.”

Attendees who posted on social media during the gala alleged Ronstadt replied “When you stop enabling Donald Trump”:

At the State Dept. dinner for the Kennedy Center honorees Mike Pompeo wondered aloud when he would be “loved”. Then Linda Ronstadt got up to get laurels, looked the fucker right in the eye and said “maybe when you stop enabling Donald Trump”. Icon.

— sam greisman (@SAMGREIS) December 8, 2019

As he entered the building, actor Tom Hanks commented that he felt the tension at the gala was different from those in the past.

“We’ve been here for Republican presidents and we’ve been here for Democratic presidents,” Hanks said. “We were all celebrating the arts in America.”

The ceremony will be aired on CBS December 15, according to Breitbart News.