Trump renaming fiasco fuels jokes as Maher takes Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain prize | Bill Maher
Outside John F Kennedy Center for the Performing ArtsA giant tarpaulin remained in place to hide Donald Trump’s humiliation.
Guests entering the national arts complex on Sunday night could not see the section of marble facade where Trump’s name had recently been removed, due to a court order.
But once they sit down Mark Twain award for American humor There was nowhere to hide at the ceremony as performers made major statements against a US president whose power appears to be waning, at least in this corner of Washington DC.
Paying tribute to this year’s honoree, comedian Bill Maher, actor Woody Harrelson said: “Finally, an award for my dear friend; ironically, at the Trump Kennedy Center. No, okay, we fixed that.”
The audience erupted in applause. Then, apparently acknowledging the tarp-covered dock, Harrelson added: “It’s not like you could notice.”
Trump took control of the Kennedy Center last year and established himself as president. The hand-picked board of directors voted to rename it the Trump Kennedy Center and plaster its name on the wall. But last month, a judge ruled that adding Trump’s name to the building was illegal and ordered the 18 letters removed.
On Sunday, the red carpet background featured the name “Kennedy Center” without Trump’s name, but framed photos of the president, first lady Melania Trump, vice president J.D. Vance and second lady Usha Vance remained on the wall.
The legal saga surrounding the building immediately became fodder for jokes at the premiere. Former late night host Jay Leno said on the red carpet: “This seems funny to me. This is not war, not antisemitism, not racism; this is vanity. It’s so ridiculous it looks like a paid high school. We’re closing the name now – lol! High school. ‘I’ll show them, I’ll write the name!’”
During the ceremony, which Trump did not attend, comedian Whitney Cummings quipped: “I’m so glad we got to celebrate Bill tonight, even though Trump is now the chairman of the board of this venue. He actually has a lot of power here and has a say in what productions can happen here, so enjoy the three-month run of White Hamilton this fall.”
Written and composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the musical Hamilton casts actors of color as the founding fathers of the United States. In direct response to Trump’s takeover, producers canceled this year’s planned show at the Kennedy Center and will instead stage performances at the city’s National Theatre.
Cummings added pointedly: “The thing about comedy is that we’re not afraid. We try not to be afraid of people who bully.”
Moments after Maher began accepting the award, Matt DatingOne of the president’s prominent impersonators took the stage and joked in Trump’s voice that he would accept the award himself. “I had one of the best comedy careers of all time,” he said. “I laugh a lot more than this guy!”
The friend also mocked Maher’s recent White House dinner with Trump, who signed a list of insults he hurled at Maher. The comedian later denied making a “deal” or compromising his values. Maher insisted to the Trump impersonator: “That dinner was always about the two parties talking to each other instead of yelling at each other.”
Last month, U.S. district judge Christopher Cooper upset the president’s grand designsIt halted plans to close the entire center in July for a two-year renovation that would cost $257 million. Trump said on social media that Cooper “should be ashamed of himself” and stated that he was done at the Kennedy Center, writing: “I have no interest in continuing a hopeless journey toward ‘Never Get Down.’ The board has not yet decided on its next move.”
On Sunday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the president was still loyal to the center. He said: “The President is not only the commander in chief, but also the chief builder.
“He’s going to do his best to make this building shine, and I think he’ll be successful. These courts are always fighting him, but in the end he wins, and we all know it. It’s just a matter of time. He’ll find a way to win, and I’m here to help.””
When asked how he felt about removing Trump’s name, Lutnick replied: “I don’t talk about what the president wants to do. I leave that up to him. He tells the truth when he wants to. I’m smart about it. I’m a smart guy.”
Maher, 70, enjoys the persona of a single atheist dissident who challenges groupthink and attacks both Trump and the “woke” left. The ceremony highlighted his role as an “equal opportunity offender” on shows such as Politically Incorrect and Real Time with Bill Maher, where he grilled Vance last week.
Among those honoring Maher were businesswoman Arianna Huffington, TV personality Stephen A Smith and comedian Louis CK, who in 2017 admitted to allegations of sexual misconduct by multiple women, including fellow female comedians.
Taking the stage to accept his award, Maher reflected on his 33-year career in television and expressed great pride in his refusal to coddle his viewers or bow to partisan demands. “People say they want honesty. They don’t. They want to live in a bubble,” Maher told the audience, praising his loyal audience as a unique group that “doesn’t demand to be fawned over.”
He added: “I don’t ask what will please the audience. I ask what is right and they accept it.”
The ceremony was attended by an unusual mix of Democrats and Republicans, Trump officials and liberal Washington residents. California Democratic congressman Ro Khanna, who appeared on Maher’s HBO show, was among those present.
Mehmet Oz, television personality and director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said: “It’s valuable for America to have humorists who can pick both sides. I worry that a lot of late-night humor is always aimed at one side, and so if you know the punchline before the comedian says it, it’s not that funny. If the punchline is always Donald Trump, please give me something else.”
Anna Paulina LunaThe Republican congresswoman from Florida praised Maher as a “traditional blue dog Democrat” whose willingness to call out “craziness” is vital to holding a polarized country together.
Pennsylvania’s Democratic senator, John Fetterman, walked the red carpet to declare his ideological kinship with Maher. Fetterman praised Maher’s unwavering support for Israel, stating that “there is no daylight” between his views and those of the comedian; This made them both “outliers” within the Democratic party.
Asked about the controversy surrounding the Kennedy Center’s name and the president’s aggressive renovations, Fetterman said: “The center will outlive the Trump administration, and I’m not worried about putting someone’s name there.”.”
The Mark Twain award was created in 1998. Maher joins a list of recipients that includes Richard Pryor, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Jon Stewart and Conan O’Brien. The ceremony is scheduled to air on Netflix on July 21.
