Live: Trump visits Kennedy Center, announce honorees

(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump is set to visit the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday to announce this year’s honorees and reveal plans for upcoming renovations.

“GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS,” Trump said on social media.

The president, who did not attend performances at the center during his first term, fired the center’s board of trustees and the previous chair before appointing himself as a replacement.

Trump’s late-night announcement took staff by surprise, NPR reported, and it’s not clear whether Trump will stick to the tradition of nominating living artists, having previously floated names like Elvis Presley.

In his social media post, Trump also referred to physical changes at the center, touting a “top level of luxury and glamour.” He did not share any details, though he has shown a distinct style preference in previous renovations.

During his time in the White House, Trump has focused on bringing his own aesthetic to the historic building, embellishing decor with gold and announcing plans to build a Mar-a-Lago-like ballroom in the area currently used to house the first lady’s staff.

Trump has also steered the performing arts center toward more conservative-leaning content, including Christian-focused shows.

Since he took over, ticket sales have dropped, and some shows, including the Broadway hit “Hamilton,” have pulled out of previously planned engagements.

Related articles

Tom Homan scrambles to explain ICE airport duties after Trump puts him under the gun



Donald Trump’s impulsive weekend decision to deploy U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to the nation’s airports to do the jobs of TSA agents not being paid by the administration, put his border czar on the spot on CNN.

Early Sunday morning, the frustrated president said ICE would pulled from their jobs grabbing immigrants off the street to help out at airports plagued by TSA sick-outs and that Homan would be responsible for getting it done.

Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Tom Homan, who inherited former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s duties after she was fired, was pressed by host Dana Bash over training for agents who have no airport security experience .


According to Homan, it is a “work in progress” and details are still be worked out before the Monday deadline.

“Are ICE agents even remotely trained to handle security at airports?” the CNN host asked.

“Ice agents receive high-level training,” Homan insisted. “And, you know, ICE agents are assigned at many airports across the country already. They do a lot of investigation, criminal investigation on smuggling reports. But, you know, there's, I mean, there's a lot TSA agents covering exits, you know, people that enter through the exits. You know, certainly a highly trained ICE law enforcement officer can cover an exit that makes people don't go through those exits entering the airport, through the exits. That stuff like that relieves that TSA officer to go to screening and to, to reduce those lines. “

“I don't see an ICE agent looking at an x-ray machine because they're not trained in that,” he admitted.

After the Trump official elaborated, “So hopefully we'll have all those answers here by this afternoon, but we're working on it. And when we deploy tomorrow, we'll have a well-thought-out plan to execute,” the skeptical CNN host asked, “With respect, if you're doing this in 24 hours, how well thought out could it possibly be?”

“Again, ICE has been at airports across the country for a long time. It's just expanding those things,” Homan pushed back. “Look, it does it –– how much of a plan does it mean to guard an exit, to make sure no one comes through that exit? And we're talking about security options. And these officers are well-trained in security and they're well-trained in identification. And we're going to do what we can to help TSA move those people through the line.”

- YouTube youtu.be


UB HIV prevention expert publishes commentary in The Lancet

Gloria Aidoo-Frimpong’s invited commentary discusses the significance of a major...