“Trump Jokes: ‘If I Can’t Beat Jimmy Kimmel, I Shouldn’t Be President’ at Kennedy Center Honors”

Trump Presents 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, Jabs Jimmy Kimmel.

Former President Donald Trump presented medals to the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees on Saturday, lauding their contributions to American culture while taking a pointed jab at late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. Speaking at the ceremony, Trump criticized Kimmel’s previous hosting of the awards.

“I’ve watched some of the people that host. Jimmy Kimmel was horrible,” Trump said, according to the Associated Press. “If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president.”

Trump also noted that no sitting president had ever presided over the ceremony. “This is the first time a president has hosted the awards,” he said. “I’m sure they’ll give me great reviews… No, we’ll do fine.”

About the Kennedy Center Honors
The Kennedy Center Honors celebrate individuals who have made significant contributions to American performing arts. Traditionally, honorees are chosen by the Kennedy Center, but this year Trump personally unveiled the list.

Trump called the 2025 class “perhaps the most accomplished and renowned ever” and said he had been closely involved in the selection. Honorees include Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait, Kiss, and Michael Crawford. He had previously claimed he was “about 98% involved” in choosing the honorees, making this the first class curated under his administration.