Kennedy Center Honors Highlights Schism Between Trump and The Arts
CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 12/28/2018, 8:52 a.m.
President Trump skipped the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017, publicly stating that he wished to avoid marring the celebration with a "political distraction." A year later, his absence at the event -- held earlier this month, and now being televised on CBS -- merely reinforces the disconnect between the commander in chief and key ceremonial aspects of America's cultural life. The Kennedy Center tribute joins other touchstones -- like NBA championship teams visiting the White House -- that have fallen by the wayside since Trump's inauguration. And while such matters aren't necessarily important in the bigger scheme of things, it does feel as if there's a donut hole at the center of all this pomp and circumstance. Perhaps more than most, the Kennedy Center has always been a kick in that respect, seeing Washington luminaries get in touch with their inner fan, dancing and singing along (often poorly, but so what?) during rousing tributes to stars in various artistic fields.
