President Donald Trump joked that instead of hosting the Kennedy Center Honors next year, he would “nominate” himself as a 2026 Kennedy Center honoree.
“Mr. President, now we know that you’ve hosted before, The Apprentice, for many years, could you imagine next year, maybe you not hosting but maybe receiving a Kennedy Center Honor?” a reporter asked Trump.
“That’s an interesting one,” Trump said. “Yeah, I think I’m going to nominate myself for next year.”
Trump’s comments come as he is hosting the Kennedy Center Honors, representing the first time that a president has hosted the event.
In August, Trump announced that the 2025 class of Kennedy Center honorees includes actor Sylvester Stallone, the rock band Kiss, Broadway actor Michael Crawford, country music star George Strait, and legendary singer Gloria Gaynor.
On Saturday, Trump presented the group of Kennedy Center honorees with “freshly designed gold medallions” that were donated by Tiffany & Co. and spoke at the Kennedy Center Honors Medal Presentation dinner later that evening.
“This is a group of icons whose work and accomplishments have inspired, uplifted, and unified millions and millions of Americans,” Trump said on Saturday. “This is perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class of Kennedy Center honorees ever assembled.”
While speaking on stage at the Kennedy Center Honors, Trump acknowledged that this was “the first time that the president of the United States has ever hosted” the event, adding that he would “try and act like Johnny Carson,” according to Deadline.