Trump announces Kennedy center honorees

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President Donald Trump on Wednesday named country music star George Strait, “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone, singer Gloria Gaynor, the rock band Kiss and actor-singer Michael Crawford among the first batch of Kennedy Center Honors nominees under his leadership as the center's chairman and said he'll host the awards program.

Trump also said he will “fully renovate” the entire infrastructure of the Kennedy Center to make it a “crown jewel” of arts and culture in the United States.

“We’re going to bring it to a higher level than it ever hit,” the president said, adding the venue would be featured in next year’s celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary.

Trump said he didn’t want to host the program but was invited to do so and agreed.

Trump avoided the Kennedy Center Honors awards program during his first term after artists said they would not attend out of protest. This year, the Republican president has taken over as the Kennedy Center’s new chairman and fired the board of trustees, which he replaced with loyalists.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/trump-will-visit-the-kennedy-center/507-9c30835f-f38a-4e76-b076-597fab7a6e31