President Trump and First Lady Melania will not be attending this year’s Kennedy Centre Honours in December “to allow the honorees to celebrate without any political distraction,” said the White House on Saturday.
This will be the fourth time in 40 years that a sitting President will not be attending the event.
President Trump and First Lady Melanie seen here in Hamburg, Germany at the G-20 summit before a concert on July 7, 2017, have announced they will not be attending this this years’s Kennedy Centre Honours in December. Credit: Associated Press /Markus Schreiber
The Kennedy Center also said in a statement that the White House reception before the show “will no longer take place.”
“First Lady Melania Trump along with her husband President Donald J. Trump extend their sincerest congratulations and well wishes to all of this year’s award recipients for their many accomplishments,” said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders in a statement.
From the moment the event was announced earlier this month, it was evident that it would become politicized because most Hollywood celebrities and A-listers are liberals who do not like this President or his administration.
Statement released by the Kennedy Centre on The Trumps not attending this year’s event. Credit: Twitter/Kennedy Centre
The Kennedy Center “respects” the decision made by The Trumps, read a statement from the Centre’s Chairman David Rubenstein and its president Deborah Rutter.
“In choosing not to participate in this year’s Honours activities, the Administration graciously signaled its respect for the Kennedy Center and ensures the Honors gala remains a deservingly special moment for the honorees.”
Rapper/actor LL Cool J is one of the five recipients who said he would boycott the event if President Trump was present. Credit: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File
The awards are presented each year in December to recognize honorees for their lifetime contributions to the arts.
This is the second annual Washington event that Trump decided not to attend after skipping the annual White House Correspondents Dinner.
Bill Clinton did not attend the Honours in 1994 because of a foreign trip to Budapest, Hungary, according the New York Times report. George Bush Snr. skipped in 1989 because of a summit in Malta and Jimmy Carter did not attend in 1979 because of the Iran hostage crisis.
Singer Lionel Richie is ano honouree at the Kennedy Centre who had objected to President Trump’s presence at the event. Credit; AP Photo/Isaac Brekken, File
The announcement came after rapper LL Cool J., singers Lionel Ritchie and Gloria Estefan, dancer Carmen de Lavallade and television producer Norman Lear said they would not attend the White House reception set to take place prior to the December 3 annual gala event.
The first honoree to speak out in August was legendary Hollywood producer, Norman Lear known for creating the 1970s sitcoms, The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son and One Day At A Time
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