Gloria Gaynor, the disco legend whose 1978 anthem “I Will Survive” became a rallying cry for empowerment and resistance, will now stand center stage at Donald Trump’s first Kennedy Center Honors since seizing control of the institution. Gaynor’s acceptance of the award from a president rejected by 92 percent of Black women voters is a stunning turn for the 81-year-old performer — one that critics say undercuts the very spirit of her signature song. Trump unveiled this year’s honorees — Gaynor, KISS bassist Gene Simmons, and actor Sylvester Stallone — in a made-for-TV spectacle, boasting he was “about 98% involved” in picking them and rejecting others for being “too woke”. His involvement breaks with decades of tradition, when honorees were selected by a nonpartisan committee, and underscores how the event has been reshaped to serve his political and personal brand.
Simmons’ inclusion is especially jarring. Once friendly with Trump from his Celebrity Apprentice days, Simmons has since accused him of unleashing open bigotry. “Once upon a time, you were embarrassed to be publicly racist… now it’s all out in the open because he allowed it,” Simmons told SPIN, adding that Trump “got all the cockroaches to rise to the top”. Despite that history, Simmons will take the stage this December under Trump’s banner. Stallone, a loyal Trump supporter and one of his so-called Hollywood “ambassadors,” will also be honored. The appearance gives the “Rocky” star a national platform to promote his ratings-challenged television series.
Trump’s control over the Kennedy Center began with a boardroom purge earlier this year. He fired longtime president Deborah Rutter, ousted Biden-appointed board members, and made himself chairman — the first sitting president to do so. Rutter accused Trump’s team of making “false allegations” and distorting audited financial reports. The upheaval has triggered boycotts by major artists and cancellations of high-profile productions, including “Hamilton.” The Kennedy Center Honors were once a rare bipartisan celebration of American cultural achievement. Under Trump, the ceremony is now a curated display of loyalty, where politics takes the lead over artistry. For Gaynor, whose defining hit once symbolized resilience in the face of adversity, this December’s performance will carry a far different message — one of approval for the very man her core audience overwhelmingly rejected.
“When you get into a position of power, it does affect lives,” Simmons has said of Trump. However, this year’s honors will show just how far that influence can reach.
