Looks like President Trump has decided to break another Washington tradition. On Saturday, the White House said the president and first lady Melania Trump won’t be attending the annual Kennedy Center Honors in December “to allow the honorees to celebrate without any political distraction.” The move comes a few months after Trump decided to skip another tradition and not attend the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Past presidents and first ladies have hosted receptions at the White House for the honorees before attending the Kennedy Center gala. But Trump seems to have decided it wasn’t worth the trouble after two of the five honorees this year— television producer Norman Lear and dancer Carmen de Lavallade—said they would not attend a White House reception. Singer Lionel Richie also said he was considering boycotting. “I’m gonna just play it by ear,” Richie said earlier in the week. “I must tell you, I’m not really happy with what’s going on right now with the controversies. They’re weekly, daily, hourly.”
Even the two other honorees who had not said they would boycott the White House reception made it clear they weren’t exactly thrilled about sharing the spotlight with Trump. Singer Gloria Estefan, another of the honorees, said she would go to the White House but with the stated purpose of trying to influence the president’s view on immigration issues. Rapper LL Cool J had not said whether he would attend but he did release a statement that made it clear he wasn’t quite comfortable with the idea. “I don’t have any stunts planned. I’m not saying I need to be there backslapping and all of that, but this time, this one ain’t about him,” the rapper said in a statement, alluding to Trump. “I’m not going to block my blessings or let the political divide stop me from embracing my art. I’m banking on the goodness and the optimism of people to say: ‘You know what? I get it. Let this guy have this honor’.”
The Kennedy Center seems to be relieved that the president decided to bow out. The chairman and president of the Kennedy Center released a statement saying they were “grateful for this gesture” that will allow the annual event to go on without controversy. “The Kennedy Center respects the decision made today by the office of the president of the United States,” chairman David M. Rubenstein and president Deborah F. Rutter said in a joint statement. “In choosing not to participate in this year’s Honors activities, the administration has graciously signaled its respect for the Kennedy Center and ensures the Honors gala remains a deservingly special moment for the honorees. We are grateful for this gesture.”
The decision to skip the annual ceremony illustrates the tense relationship the president has long had with the entertainment industry, which only worsened after his response to the violence in Charlottesville. On Friday, all the members of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities decided to resign in protest. “Ignoring your hateful rhetoric would have made us complicit to your words and actions,” the members of the council wrote in their resignation letter.
