Tom Cruise turns down Donald Trump's invite for Kennedy Center Honor
As the new chairman of the Kennedy Center, Trump announced the honorees himself during a Wednesday press conference at the site.
Unlike in his first term, when he didn't even attend the honours ceremony, he announced that he would be hosting it later this year and that he had been deeply involved with the selection process.
However, there is one star who will not be making an appearance: Tom Cruise.
According to The Washington Post, the film star declined the lifetime achievement award, citing 'scheduling conflicts.' The claim was reportedly confirmed by 'several' former and current Kennedy Center employees.
Cruise is fresh off the release of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, and the actor has several projects coming, which may make it difficult for him to attend the December ceremony. That, or it is speculated that he refusal may have other motivations, considering he will reportedly be present to receive his honourary Oscar in November.
The actor has not publicly commented on President Trump's politics and recently declined to answer a Trump question while promoting the latest Mission: Impossible film in South Korea.
Cruise was speaking at a Q&A panel when a reporter asked a question about the possible tariffs imposed by Trump on movie productions.
"I watched this film and I saw that it was filmed in many different locations around the world, including Africa,' began the reporter. 'Of course, we all are aware of the tariffs that President Donald Trump has been imposing on overseas productions and films. So, is this particular movie under that tariff? And how much of the film was shot overseas?"
Cruise told the moderator: "We'd rather answer questions about the movie. Thank you."
During the announcement of this year's Kennedy Center honourees, Trump claimed he 'waited and waited' to receive the award himself but 'was never able to get one.'
He then suggested he might choose himself for a future award.
'I waited and waited and waited, and I said, 'The hell with it, I'll become chairman and I'll give myself an honour,'' he said. 'Next year, we'll honour Trump, okay?'
He also stated that he 'turned down plenty' of candidates for the honours list because of their politics.
'They were too woke. I had a couple of wokesters,' Trump said.
Stallone has a history of backing Trump, while founding Kiss member Ace Frehley endorsed Trump in 2020, so that tracks. However, Gloria Gaynor doesn't fit the bill as much.
American chat show host Ana Navarro, who hosts The View, has publicly shared that she hopes Gaynor would turn down the award because of Trump's involvement.
'A few years ago, I got to briefly meet @gloriagaynor at a concert in Miami. She gifted me a keychain that belted out 'I Will Survive,' when you pressed it. Let's just say, during first Trump term, I pressed it til it ran out of batteries,' Navarro began in her Instagram post.
'Yesterday, Trump announced he picked her to receive a Kennedy Center Honor, which he plans to host. Look, the woman is a goddess and deserves all the flowers that come her way. But I wish she wouldn't accept an award from the hands of a man who has attacked the rights and history of women, people of color and LGBTQ. The gay community in particular, helped turn her signature song into an anthem.'
She added: 'Trump is a stain on the prestige and significance of the KCH. Don't do it, Gloria!'
Une publication partagée par Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarrofl)
Trump took over as chairman of the Kennedy Center this year after he fired and replaced several members of the board with his own political supporters.
He has vowed to steer the organsiation in a different direction, saying that it was 'not going to be woke.'
His revamp of the Kennedy Center fits in with his ongoing push to overhaul cultural institutions like the Smithsonian museums.
This week, the White House sent a letter to Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch III, laying out in detail the steps it expects the organization to take as part of an announced review ordering cultural institutions to align their content with Trump's interpretation of American history.
The probe will look at all public-facing content, such as social media, exhibition text and educational materials, to 'assess tone, historical framing, and alignment with American ideals,' according to the letter.
'This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the President's directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.'
The 48th Kennedy Center Honors will take place in Washington D.C. on 7 December.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
25 minutes ago
- LeMonde
Federal judge denies the Trump administration's request to end a policy protecting immigrant children in custody
A federal judge ruled on Friday, August 15, to deny the Trump administration's request to end a policy that has been in place for nearly three decades that is meant to protect immigrant children in federal custody. US District Judge Dolly Gee in Los Angeles issued her ruling a week after holding a hearing with the federal government and legal advocates representing immigrant children in custody. Gee called last week's hearing "déjà vu" after reminding the court of the federal government's attempt to terminate the Flores Settlement Agreement in 2019 under the first Trump administration. She repeated the sentiment in Friday's order. "There is nothing new under the sun regarding the facts or the law. The Court therefore could deny Defendants' motion on that basis alone," Gee wrote, referring to the government's appeal to a law they believed kept the court from enforcing the agreement. In the most recent attempt, the government argued they had made substantial changes since the agreement was formalized in 1997, creating standards and policies governing the custody of immigrant children that conform to legislation and the agreement. Gee acknowledged that the government made some improved conditions of confinement, but wrote, "These improvements are direct evidence that the FSA is serving its intended purpose, but to suggest that the agreement should be abandoned because some progress has been made is nonsensical." Attorneys representing the federal government told the court the agreement gets in the way of their efforts to expand detention space for families, even though Trump's tax and spending bill provided billions to build new immigration facilities. Tiberius Davis, one of the government attorneys, said the bill gives the government authority to hold families in detention indefinitely. "But currently under the Flores Settlement Agreement, that's essentially void," he said last week. The Flores agreement, named for a teenage plaintiff, was the result of over a decade of litigation between attorneys representing the rights of migrant children and the US government over widespread allegations of mistreatment in the 1980s. The agreement set standards for how licensed shelters must provide food, water, adult supervision, emergency medical services, toilets, sinks, temperature control and ventilation. It also limited how long US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) could detain child immigrants to 72 hours; the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) then takes custody of the children. The Biden administration successfully pushed to partially end the agreement last year. Gee ruled that special court supervision may end when HHS takes custody, but she carved out exceptions for certain types of facilities for children with more acute needs. In arguing against the Trump administration's effort to completely end the agreement, advocates said the government was holding children beyond the time limits. In May, CBP held 46 children for over a week − including six children held for over two weeks and four children held 19 days − according to data revealed in a court filing. In March and April, CPB reported that it had 213 children in custody for more than 72 hours, while 14 children − including toddlers − were held for over 20 days in April. The federal government is looking to expand its immigration detention space, including by building more centers like one in Florida dubbed " Alligator Alcatraz ," where a lawsuit alleges detainees' constitutional rights are being violated.
Fashion Network
2 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Is anybody fighting back in this trade war?
By no means does the firm anticipate zero harm. Business confidence is down but not collapsing. Capital spending will be constrained. And while chances of recession are still high, a better outcome remains very plausible. This sort of guarded optimism — or qualified pessimism — is a break from the dark warnings. Christine Lagarde, head of the European Central Bank, told leaders to prepare for a worst-case scenario in which an antagonistic US drags the world into destructive economic conflict. The prime minister of Singapore, a city-state that thrived during the heyday of free trade, couldn't hide his dismay: Tariffs aren't the actions of friends, Lawrence Wong noted. His Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, declared that relations with the US would be changed forever. Chinese President Xi Jinping has studiously matched American moves but also toned down his rhetoric and actions when appropriate. Washington and Beijing this week extended a pause on higher tariffs for 90 days, the latest in a series of suspensions. India, which has been the subject of some bullish projections as China's economy has slowed, is one of the few economies of significance that hasn't cut a deal with Trump. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hasn't gone measure for measure or shown a desire to get even with American businesses. Yes, there has been indignity and hurt feelings. The governor of the Reserve Bank of India dismissed Trump's claim that commerce was dead there. He touted India's contribution to global growth — about 18% compared to around 11% for the US — and insisted the local economy was doing well. This is in the ballpark, based on IMF projections. It also misses the point that in pure size, America dwarfs India. Brazil, a comer that struggles to make good on its potential, is also refusing to bend. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva loathes dependence on the US and wants to be treated as an equal. But Trump doesn't like a court case against Lula's predecessor for allegedly plotting a coup. Brazil is trying to develop an alternative to the dollar and places great store in commercial ties to the BRICS group of emerging economies. Many of those nations, and aspiring members of the bloc, have cut deals with Trump, or are likely to do so. Brazil will come to some arrangement. So has Trump got away with it? His aides reckoned that access to the American market is too lucrative to pass up, and they may have been right. It would also be naive to conclude there won't be any cost. The global economy has slowed but hasn't crashed, foreigners still purchase US Treasuries and it's a safe bet that the greenback will be at the centre of the financial system for years. But the nations humiliated won't forget this experience. Asia's economies will only get bigger and the siren call of greater integration with China will get louder. Trump's efforts to destroy the existing order may yet prove an own goal. Just not this year. Clayton, who became the top economic official at the State Department, believed that robust trade among the shattered nations of Western Europe was as important as physical rebuilding. The economic dislocation wrought by the conflagration had been underestimated; capitalism could revive the continent and prevent the political implosion of key countries. According to Benn Steil's book The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War, Clayton insisted that the US 'must run this show.' Trump's team brag about reconfiguring the system that grew from the ideals of the post-war era. The hubris may ultimately prove misplaced.
France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
Made-for-TV pageantry as Trump brings Putin in from cold
In made-for-television images, Putin and Trump each flew in their presidential planes to Elmendorf Air Base, the largest US military installation in Alaska that played a key role in monitoring the Soviet Union. Trump waited in Air Force One until Putin landed and then stepped down to the tarmac, clapping as he saw the Russian leader for the first time since 2019, this time under a frigid slate-gray sky. They then walked toward each other, smiled and shook hands before posing together on a stage that read, "Alaska 2025." In a highly unusual move, Putin stepped in "The Beast," the ultra-secure US presidential limousine, alongside Trump before they headed into talks that were set to focus on Ukraine. Putin grinned widely and appeared to joke to reporters as the two started their meeting in a room which the American hosts emblazoned with words -- written only in English -- "Pursuing Peace." The reception was a striking contrast to a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February, when Trump as Vice President JD Vance berated him and accused him of ingratitude. Zelensky was long hailed across the Western world. Putin by contrast has curtailed his travel sharply since he sent troops to invade Ukraine, and he faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court related to the war. Pressing their power Putin was quickly confronted on the war as a reporter repeatedly and loudly shouted out to him, "When will you stop killing civilians?" Putin did not react. And both aides ahead of the summit sought to press their message, sometimes in unsubtle ways. As Putin walked in, a B-2 stealth bomber -- an ultimate symbol of US military power -- flew overhead. Sergei Lavrov, the veteran Russian foreign minister rarely seen out of a jacket and tie, was photographed arriving ahead of Putin in Alaska in a sweatshirt emblazoned with "CCCP" -- the USSR -- in a reminder of the superpower status that Putin has been striving to recreate. Senior Russian officials were temporarily relieved from the severe US sanctions in place since the Ukraine invasion, allowing them not just to arrive in the United States but to carry out day-to-day transactions such as withdrawing money from cash machines. Putin and Trump were not expected to step off the base, but activists held out hope of at least a fleeting protest by posting blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flags on roofs that could be in eyesight if either leader stared out of a plane window on their descent. Protesters also taped signs to lampposts and walls near the downtown convention center where journalists picked up accreditations and the occasional Russian official may have strolled. One sign with a portrait of Putin read, "This war criminal kidnaps children." With just a week to prepare since Trump announced the summit, Anchorage was strained to capacity with hotels full of prebooked tourists on fishing expeditions and coastal cruises who had no warning that their summer destination would become the focus of global diplomacy. Russian journalists, unable to secure accommodation, posted disapproving pictures of staying inside a sporting arena, where they slept on cots partitioned off from one another by black curtains. The US hosts served the Russian journalists a selection of familiar foods -- shashlik meat skewers, grilled fish and, in a common dish for Russians that suddenly could take on another meaning, chicken Kiev.
