Trump Distracts from Honors with a Zinger at Jimmy Kimmel

06 December 2025

Donald Trump speaks at the 48th Kennedy Center Honors Medallion Reception on Dec. 6, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Paul Morigi/Getty

At the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony where Donald Trump became the first sitting president to host the gala, the real spotlight shifted momentarily, not to the honorees but to a familiar face of late-night television. In a blunt jab to reporters during the pre-ceremony medal presentation, Trump called Jimmy Kimmel “horrible,” saying if he himself could not out-shine Kimmel in talent, then perhaps he should reconsider being president.

The comment was part of a broader wave of rhetoric from Trump, who framed his hosting stint as partly inspired by legendary entertainers while dismissing contemporary TV hosts like Kimmel as failures. The insult stood out not just for its casual cruelty, but for the timing, it came just before the honors gala, meant to celebrate artistic achievement and cultural legacy.

The evening was meant to pay tribute to icons such as Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, KISS, Gloria Gaynor, and Michael Crawford figures with decades-long careers, whose work has influenced multiple generations. Trump personally selected most of the 2025 honorees after installing himself as chairman of the Kennedy Center board earlier this year.

What might have played as a lighthearted dig in another context felt jarring at an event dedicated to celebrating artistry. The comment highlights the increasingly blurred lines between pop culture, politics, and public spectacle, a fusion some critics say undermines the dignity of cultural institutions. For many attendees and observers, the remark felt unnecessary and disrespectful.

In response, Kimmel, no stranger to political jabs took the insult in stride on his own show, thanking Trump for the publicity surge and using the moment to satirize the entire exchange. That reaction underscores the uneasy equilibrium of late-night commentary and political drama in 2025.

Beyond the one-liner, the evening underscored just how much the Kennedy Center has changed under Trump’s direction. A restructured board, a new selection process for honorees, and a shift toward high-visibility popular culture have fueled concerns among arts communities that the institution’s historic role as a broad platform for diverse talent including classical music, dance, and theater may be narrowing.

For now, debate swirls not only around who is honored, but who gets to host, speak, and shape what counts as “culture.” The Kimmel remark may fade from memory, but the broader redefinition of the Kennedy Center could mark a turning point for better or worse in how American arts are publicly recognized.