Country icon George Strait, 1970s rock veterans KISS, Broadway star Michael Crawford, disco queen Gloria Gaynor and actor Sylvester Stallone are the 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees – the first class of honorees since President Donald Trump took over the Kennedy Center in February,

Years later, however, in May 2022, Simmons seemingly likened Trump's camp to "cockroaches" and said he was "out for himself" when speaking to SPIN. "Look what that gentleman [Trump] did to this country and the polarization — got all the cockroaches to rise to the top," the singer said at the time.

George Strait is named by Trump for Kennedy Center Honors. Other people recognized include “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone, singer Gloria Gaynor, the rock band KISS and actor-singer