Trump awards medals to the Kennedy Center honorees in an Oval Office ceremony

WASHINGTON AP President Donald Trump on Saturday presented the Kennedy Center honorees with their medals during a ceremony in the Oval Office hailing the slate of artists he was deeply involved in choosing as perhaps the preponderance accomplished and renowned class ever assembled This year s recipients are actor Sylvester Stallone singers Gloria Gaynor and George Strait the rock band Kiss and actor-singer Michael Crawford Trump commented they are a group of incredible people who represent the very best in American arts and way of life and that I know most of of them and I ve been a fan of all of them This is a group of icons whose work and accomplishments have inspired uplifted and unified millions and millions of Americans revealed a tuxedo-clad Trump This is perhaps the largest part accomplished and renowned class of Kennedy Center Honorees ever assembled Trump s takeover of the Kennedy Center Trump ignored the Kennedy Center and its premier awards scheme during his first term as president But the Republican has instituted a series of changes since returning to office in January largest part notably ousting its board of trustees and replacing them with GOP supporters who voted him in as chairman of the board Trump also has criticized the center s initiatives and its physical appearance and has vowed to overhaul both The president placed around each honoree s neck a new medal that was designed created and donated by jeweler Tiffany Co according to the Kennedy Center and Trump It s a gold disc etched on one side with the Kennedy Center s image and rainbow colors The honoree s name appears on the reverse side with the date of the ceremony The medallion hangs from a navy blue ribbon and replaces a large rainbow ribbon decorated with three gold plates that rested on the honoree s shoulders and chest and had been used since the first honors venture in Trump honors the honorees Strait wearing a cowboy hat was first to receive his medal When the country singer started to take off the hat Trump noted If you want to leave it on you can I think we can get it through But Strait took it off The president declared Crawford was a great star of Broadway for his lead role in the long-running Phantom of the Opera Of Gaynor he commented We have the disco queen and she was indeed and nobody did it like Gloria Gaynor Trump was effusive about his friend Stallone calling him a wonderful and spectacular person and one of the true great movie stars and one of the great legends Kiss is an incredible rock band he disclosed Songs by honorees Gaynor and Kiss played in the Rose Garden just outside the Oval Office as members of the White House press corps waited nearby for Trump to begin the ceremony The president explained in August that he was about involved in choosing the honorees when he personally revealed them at the Kennedy Center the first slate chosen under his leadership The honorees traditionally had been communicated by press release It was unclear how they were chosen Before Trump it fell to a bipartisan selection committee These are among the greatest artists actors and performers of their generation The greatest that we ve seen Trump mentioned We can hardly imagine the country music phenomena without its king of country or American disco without its first lady or Broadway without its phantom and that was a phantom let me tell you or rock and roll without its hottest band in the world and that s what they are or Hollywood without one of its greatest visionaries Each of you has made an indelible mark on American life and together you have defined entire genres and set new standards for the performing arts Trump stated Trump also attended an annual State Department dinner for the honorees on Saturday In years past the honorees received their medallions there but Trump moved that to the White House Trump stated during pre-dinner remarks that the honorees are more than celebrities It gives me tremendous pleasure to congratulate them once again and say thank you for your incredible career he mentioned Thank you for gracing us with this wisdom and just genius that you have Trump to host the Kennedy Center Honors Meanwhile the glitzy Kennedy Center Honors operation and its series of tribute speeches and performances for each recipient is set to be taped on Sunday at the performing arts center for broadcast later in December on CBS and Paramount Trump is to attend the effort for the first time as president accompanied by his wife first lady Melania Trump The president noted in August that he had agreed to host the show At dinner Saturday he commented he was doing so at the request of a certain television infrastructure Trump predicted that the broadcast would garner its highest ratings ever as a end No president has ever been the host At the White House Trump revealed he looked forward to Sunday s celebration It s going to be something that I believe and I m going to make a prediction This will be the highest-rated show that they ve ever done and they ve gotten several pretty good ratings but there s nothing like what s going to happen the upcoming day night Trump revealed The president also swiped at late-night TV show host Jimmy Kimmel whose plan was briefly suspended earlier this year by ABC following criticism of his comments related to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September Kimmel and Trump are sharp critics of each other with the president regularly deriding Kimmel s talent as a host Kimmel has hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Academy Award multiple times Trump revealed he should be able to outdo Kimmel I ve watched chosen of the people that host Jimmy Kimmel was horrible Trump explained If I can t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent then I don t think I should be president