Bowing Out

The Trumps, Facing Protest, Will Skip the Kennedy Center Honors

The White House announced they wanted to “allow the honorees to celebrate without any political distraction.”
Image may contain Tie Accessories Accessory Coat Clothing Overcoat Apparel Suit Human Person Wheel and Machine
By Jabin Botsfor/Getty Images.

In yet another historic break from tradition, Donald Trump and his family will not be participating in the Kennedy Center Honors awards this year, or hosting any events to honor the recipients. In a statement on Saturday, the White House announced that Trump wanted to “allow the honorees to celebrate without any political distraction.”

In the past, sitting presidents and first ladies have hosted a reception at the White House for honorees and guests, and have sat in the audience at the ceremony to watch the proceedings. But Trump’s announcement came after several of this year’s honorees, including Norman Lear and dancer Carmen de Lavallade, announced they would not attend the traditional reception at the White House. “The president and first lady have decided not to participate in this year’s activities to allow the honorees to celebrate without any political distraction,” said a White House statement obtained by The New York Times.

The Kennedy Center says that it respects Trump’s decision, and that the ceremony will go on as scheduled in December.

”In choosing not to participate in this year’s Honors activities, the administration has graciously signaled its respect for the Kennedy Center and ensures the Honors gala remains a deservingly special moment for the honorees,” the Kennedy Center said in their own statement. “We are grateful for this gesture.”

Both de Lavallade and Lear had already made it clear that Trump’s presence, and his recent actions, was giving them second thoughts about attending. “In light of the socially divisive and morally caustic narrative that our existing leadership is choosing to engage in, and in keeping with the principles that I and so many others have fought for, I will be declining the invitation to attend the reception at the White House,” de Lavallade__ said in a statement on Thursday. Lear also questioned the president’s attendance, “given his indifference or worse regarding the arts and humanities.”

This announcement comes one day after all members of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities resigned in unison to protest his response to the events in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend. “This is a particularly disturbing moment in American history,” former member Kal Penn told VF.com on Friday. “It has to be the kind of letter that we’re O.K. with showing our grandkids. These committees exist to advise the White House on cultural issues, and it is the role of artists to spark conversation.“