Sunday night’s Kennedy Center Honors, typically a staid celebration of the arts, took on a decidedly political flavor this year as President Donald Trump presided over the ceremony—and California Governor Gavin Newsom seized the moment for a pointed, satirical jab. The event, held on December 7, 2025, and set to air on CBS later this month, became the latest battleground in the ongoing war of words between the two high-profile politicians.
As President Trump took the stage to honor luminaries like Sylvester Stallone and the legendary rock band Kiss, Newsom was busy on X (formerly Twitter), where he posted a photoshopped image of himself accepting the inaugural—and entirely fictional—Kennedy Center peace prize from Trump. The post was no ordinary meme; it was a barbed, all-caps lampoon of Trump’s style and recent public appearances, replete with inside jokes and political subtext.
According to HuffPost, Newsom’s satirical post riffed on Trump’s recent receipt of FIFA’s first-ever peace prize during the World Cup soccer draw, broadcast on Fox just two days earlier. That moment, viewed by many as a consolation after Trump failed to secure the Nobel Peace Prize, had already generated its share of buzz and skepticism. Newsom’s online taunt dug deeper, skewering not just the optics of the FIFA award but also Trump’s penchant for self-congratulation and media spectacle.
Newsom’s press office, mimicking Trump’s signature social media voice, wrote: “TERRIFIC NIGHT ACCEPTING THE FIRST-EVER KENNEDY CENTER PEACE PRIZE!!! AUDIENCE WAS AMAZING (CHAIRS NOT GREAT, LIGHTING DISASTER). TRUMP AND JANITOR RIC GRENELL LET THE WHOLE PLACE GO TO HELL!!” The post didn’t stop there, adding, “I TOLD THEM AS TRUMP DOZED OFF: RENAME IT THE NEWSOM CENTER!! ONLY I CAN FIX IT!!! CROWD WENT WILD — PEOPLE FAINTING, CRYING, SPEAKING IN TONGUES!!!” and, in a final flourish, “EVEN RFK JR. WAS SO MOVED AND INSPIRED BY ME THAT HE GRABBED TWEEZERS AND TRIED TO TAKE OUT THE BRAIN WORM! A HISTORIC NIGHT FOR AMERICA. YOU’RE WELCOME!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! — GCN”
The post, as reported by HuffPost and other outlets, was a masterclass in political trolling—layered with references to recent headlines, inside jokes, and jabs at Trump’s allies. The mention of Ric Grenell, a former Trump administration official now serving as president of the Kennedy Center, and the suggestion that the venue had fallen into disrepair under their watch, were delivered with tongue firmly in cheek. The quip about renaming the Kennedy Center to the “Newsom Center” poked fun at Trump’s own habit of attaching his name to properties and institutions.
Meanwhile, inside the Kennedy Center, Trump was not above a bit of self-parody himself. During his 12-minute opening remarks, he jokingly referred to the venue as the “Trump Kennedy Center” and feigned embarrassment, according to HuffPost. He also predicted how “fake news” would review his performance and boasted about the potential ratings of the broadcast—on CBS, a network he has previously sued. The president’s performance was vintage Trump: a blend of bravado, media-savvy showmanship, and a willingness to blur the lines between ceremony and spectacle.
Trump’s role at the Kennedy Center has become increasingly prominent in recent years. As board chair, he now presides over one of the country’s most prestigious arts institutions—a position that has drawn both admiration from supporters and skepticism from critics. His installation as host of the annual ceremony, particularly on a network with which he’s had legal disputes, was seen by some as the ultimate act of political theater.
For Newsom, the episode offered another opportunity to burnish his reputation as a leading Democratic foil to Trump. The California governor has emerged as one of the party’s most visible and vocal figures, frequently using social media to challenge, mock, and undermine the former president. His latest post was widely interpreted as a signal of his national ambitions, with many political observers placing him near the top of the list of potential Democratic presidential candidates for 2028.
Newsom’s approach was not without risk. Political satire, especially when aimed at a sitting or former president, can backfire or be dismissed as petty. But the response on X suggested that many Democrats and Trump critics relished the governor’s willingness to take the fight directly to Trump—on Trump’s own rhetorical turf. The post quickly went viral, attracting praise, laughter, and the inevitable backlash from Trump loyalists.
As HuffPost noted, the Kennedy Center Honors have long been a symbol of bipartisan respect for the arts, with presidents traditionally playing a ceremonial role. Trump’s tenure, however, has upended many of those conventions. His decision to host the ceremony himself, his jokes about media coverage, and his willingness to inject political drama into the proceedings have all contributed to a sense that the event is now as much about politics as about cultural achievement.
In the broader context, the exchange between Trump and Newsom highlights the ways in which American political discourse has changed in the social media age. What might once have been a quiet night of artistic celebration became, instead, a stage for political theater and digital sparring. For Trump, the event was another opportunity to command attention and shape the narrative. For Newsom, it was a chance to demonstrate his wit, media savvy, and willingness to challenge the Republican standard-bearer head-on.
Of course, the real winners of the night—at least in the traditional sense—were the honorees themselves. Figures like Sylvester Stallone and Kiss received their due recognition, though their achievements were, at least momentarily, overshadowed by the political spectacle unfolding both on stage and online. For viewers tuning in to CBS on December 23, the ceremony will offer not just a celebration of the arts, but a snapshot of the current state of American politics—where even the most hallowed traditions are fair game for satire, spectacle, and a little bit of trolling.
As the dust settles, one thing is clear: the intersection of politics, media, and culture remains as lively—and unpredictable—as ever.
