Trump Becomes Host of Kennedy Center Honors: Why It Matters for His Image.

Trump as Host of Kennedy Center Honors

According to Vox: On Sunday evening, President Donald Trump participated in the annual Kennedy Center Honors ceremony in Washington. While presidents typically attend these awards, Trump was absent during his first term. Now, after cleaning the Center's board of opposing members and becoming its chair, Trump has become the first president to serve as host of this event. For him, this event was an opportunity not only to take revenge on 'woke' Hollywood but also to reaffirm his popularity as a television host.

“I looked at some of the hosts,” Trump, a former host of Apprentice, noted on Saturday before the event. “Jimmy Kimmel was terrible. If I can't surpass Jimmy Kimmel in talent, then I don't think I should be president.”

Although Kimmel has never hosted the Kennedy Center Honors, he appeared on stage in 2014 during a tribute to David Letterman. However, Kimmel hosts the Oscars, and Trump presumably sees the Kennedy Center Honors as his equivalent. Furthermore, Kimmel always criticizes Trump, who, in turn, does not hide his hatred for Kimmel. In September, their relationship escalated when Kimmel was briefly suspended from his show on ABC.

The Fight for Cultural Status

With his characteristic narcissism, Trump sees the Kennedy Center Honors as an opportunity to outshine Kimmel, be funnier, and attract more attention. The strength of his presence in the Oval Office no longer seems sufficient. He is not only the president but also a television star seeking the recognition of the cultural elite that he will never achieve.

This awkward attempt to gain approval characterizes the current phase of MAGA: the realization that the right cannot automatically occupy the cultural position gained by the left and must now reclaim it through strength or money. Transforming Twitter into X under Elon Musk's leadership is one example of such a strategy.

“They remember 2020 and think that if Jimmy Kimmel had stood against Black Lives Matter, he would have been taken off the air without a state,” said right-wing essayist Tanner Greer.

The main idea is to replace the soft power of persuasion with the hard power of government. The right is trying to compete with the cultural power of the left by using harsher mechanisms, including threats of hefty fines and imprisonment.

Despite this, the right has support and power in all branches of government. However, they still have not achieved what Trump desires most – acceptance among the broader cultural elite.

Trump was a television star but never had the popularity to host the Oscars: too eccentric, too harsh, and prone to deviating from the script. So he became president, removed advisors from the cultural center, and became the chair and de facto host of this ceremony.

Will this be enough for him?

Trump continues to crave attention and recognition, highlighting his unique role in modern politics. Participation in the Kennedy Center Honors was yet another step in his efforts to connect with cultural figures with whom he has a complicated relationship. Whether he will achieve the desired recognition among the cultural elite remains to be seen.