SCOOP: How President Trump and Ric Grenell "saved the Kennedy Center"
The Trump-Grenell duo has raised hundreds of millions for the Kennedy Center, between cash infusions from Congress and from donations.
The President of the United States hosted the Kennedy Center Honors for the first time over the weekend. Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, the legendary arts center received a much-needed infusion of $250 million from congressional Republicans, and Trump and Ambassador Ric Grenell raised “almost $23 million” in advance of the honors.
This year, the Kennedy Center’s prestigious honors went to KISS, “the pretty legendary rock band,” George Strait, “the legendary Michael Crawford,” Gloria Gaynor, and Sylvester Stallone — a group that Trump said will be difficult for future honors to top. “They are great honorees,” he said.
Several of the awardees were among Trump’s favorites of their genres — ahead of the dinner, Trump told Crawford that “I don’t want to say how many times I’ve seen you in Phantom [of the Opera].”
The Washington Reporter was on site at the State Department’s opulent dining room with Trump, Ambassador Richard Grenell, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chief of Protocol of the United States Monica Crowley, and the honorees.
Reflecting on the talent assembled in the room, Trump said that “if you don’t have talent, there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
Actors like Stallone clearly had talent, he noted. Trump provided the audience with a lengthy recap of Stallone’s career, debating if Rocky or Rambo was a better movie. After Rocky, which Trump loved, Stallone “had another thing called Rambo. I think Rambo gave Rocky a little bit of a run.”
Grenell, who works with Trump as the executive director of the Kennedy Center, told the audience that he was grateful to “Delta, Boeing, and CVS” for being some of the center’s largest sponsors.
Trump, Grenell said, “saved the Kennedy Center.” When the two took over earlier this year, “it was awful,” Grenell said. Grenell has previously explained in interviews with the Reporter how his predecessors mismanaged the center’s finances for years. After Grenell hosted Trump, who has visited the center repeatedly during his second term, the president called Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) and Russell Vought, the director of the United States Office of Management and Budget, to demand that Congress allocate funds to save the center.
During his remarks, Trump noted that the Republicans’ One Big, Beautiful BIll (OBBB) steered hundreds of millions of dollars to the center.
Trump also took the opportunity to praise his cabinet members, many of whom were in attendance at the dinner. None received more praise from the president than did Rubio. “I have to say this — Marco Rubio is a great Secretary of State,” Trump said. “He’s going to go down as the greatest Secretary of State in the history of our country.”
Rubio, Grenell, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Sergio Gor are all doing great jobs, Trump added. He noted that Gor is due to ship off to India to serve as America’s ambassador in a few weeks. Trump said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who Trump called a “friend of mine” is eager to have Gor get to work.
While the Kennedy Center Honors took center stage over the weekend, soccer and football were both clearly on the president’s mind. The first person he addressed from the State Department stage was New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, telling him that he has a great football team and a great quarterback in Drake Maye.
“Bob Kraft never gave up,” Trump said. “He had a lousy team last year and now he’s leading the NFL again. I’m sure the other owners are just thrilled” for you, he said to the legendary philanthropist.
Trump also thanked FIFA “for the award they gave me,” but also for choosing the Kennedy Center” for its World Cup draw. The president took credit for securing both FIFA and the Olympics during his first term, but noted that one event he’s presiding over that he can’t take credit for is America’s 250th birthday.
Following Trump’s speech, attendees gathered for dinner. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick explained to the Reporter that the honorees “each got up and told their life story about how they got there and the tough times they faced. Gloria Gaynor talking about how she was in a horrible accident and she was wearing a back brace when she’s when she wrote the music, “I Will Survive,” Gene Simmons talking about his mother in a concentration camp in Germany, and how she cries when she hears the National Anthem, it made it so real and so personal, and so it makes it so much more exciting.”
Praise for the Kennedy Center was echoed by Rubio. “You guys are doing a phenomenal job” with the center, he told Trump and Grenell.
Attendees at the dinner agreed. “This was my first time going to Honors, but I was surrounded by many couples that have been going for decades,” Trevor Milton told the Reporter. “The message was the same: Trump has saved the Kennedy Center.” Milton, the CEO of SyberJet, has put his money where his mouth is; he donated millions of dollars to the Kennedy Center, which renamed one of its lounges after his company.
Among those in attendance were FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and his wife Machalagh, Allison Lutnick, Stephen and Katie Miller, Norah O’Donnell, Kelsey Grammar, and Tiffany Trump.