--- title: Kennedy Center Honors: Donald Trump, Melania Trump to Skip description: President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have decided not to attend the Kennedy Center Honors in December canonical: https://time.com/4907737/donald-trump-kennedy-center-honors/ author: Aric Jenkins article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-19T14:17:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:29:53.873Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump to Skip Awards to Avoid ‘Political Distraction’ og:description: Honorees took issue with the President's handling of Charlottesville og:url: https://time.com/4907737/donald-trump-kennedy-center-honors/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltce8134df6a224357/6988d58d0a4a22c3a49cf09a/gettyimages-813686622.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2801 og:image:height: 1576 og:image:alt: U.S. President Donald Trump Arrives At Orly Airport og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump to Skip Awards to Avoid ‘Political Distraction’ twitter:description: Honorees took issue with the President's handling of Charlottesville twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltce8134df6a224357/6988d58d0a4a22c3a49cf09a/gettyimages-813686622.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump and First Lady Will Skip Kennedy Center Honors to Avoid ‘Political Distraction’ > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b89c9d35-5fc5-4c3d-a368-fd4944e0a022&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Trump Again Blames 'Both Sides' for Charlottesville Violence [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Again Blames 'Both Sides' for Charlottesville Violence](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/EzwfOun0.m3u8) (1:32)  _Published 2017-08-15. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that anti-racism protesters bear some of the blame for the violent rallies in Charlottesville, returning to his original comments that "both sides" were responsible for the deadly clashes._ by [Aric Jenkins](https://time.com/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins Aug 19, 2017 2:17 PM UTC by [Aric Jenkins](https://time.com/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins Aug 19, 2017 2:17 PM UTC President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have decided not to attend the Kennedy Center Honors in December after several honorees said they would boycott the annual event due to Trump’s politics. The Trumps will not participate “to allow the honorees to celebrate without any political distraction,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Saturday morning, [according to the Washington _Post._](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/08/19/trump-first-lady-to-skip-kennedy-center-honors-over-concerns-of-political-distraction/?deferJs=true&outputType=default-article&utm%5Fterm=.3f86e9798791) Three of the event’s five honorees — television producer Norman Lear, singer Lionel Richie and dancer Carmen de Lavallade — said they would [boycott the White House ceremony](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/08/carmen-de-lavallade-kennedy-center-honors-trump) that honors excellence in the performing arts. Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan said she would attend in hopes of swaying Trump’s stance on immigration. Rapper LL Cool J rounds out the five and has not yet commented on the matter. The first family typically attends the ceremony every year. But backlash [over the way Trump handled a violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., last weekend](http://time.com/4905965/donald-trump-steve-bannon-charlottesville-north-korea/) has prompted the boycott threats. At a press conference Tuesday, Trump doubled-down on his view that “both sides” were responsible for clash, which led to the death of one counter-protester. Condemnation immediately followed from Republican and Democrat politicians alike, as well a number of business leaders and prominent celebrities. “In light of the socially divisive and morally caustic narrative that our current 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 Thursday, the _Post_ reports. Sanders said that the Trumps “extend their sincerest congratulations and well wishes to all of this year’s award recipients for their many accomplishments” in a White House statement. The Kennedy Center Honors will take place Dec. 3 and will be broadcast Dec. 26. ## Transcript I've condemned neo- Nazis, I've condemned many different groups, but not all of those people were neo- Nazis, believe me. Not all of those people were white supremacists. I think there's blame on both sides. You look at both sides I think there's blame on both sides, and I have no doubt about it. What about the alt- left? They came charging, as you say, at the alt- right. Do they have any semblance of guilt? [ CROSSTALK ]. Let me ask you this, what about the fact they came charging with clubs in their hands, swinging clubs, Do they have any problem? I think they do. There was a group on this side, you can call them the left, you've just called them the left, that came violently attacking the other group. So you can say what you want, but that's they way it is. You had people in that group that were there to protest the taking down, to them, a very, very important statue, And the renaming of a park from Robert E. Lee to another name . >> [ UNKNOWN ] George Washington was a slave owner. Was George Washington a slave owner? So, will George Washington now lose his status? Excuse me. Are we going to take down statues to George Washington How about Thomas Jefferson? What do you think about Thomas Jefferson? You like him? I do love Thomas Jefferson. Okay good. Are we gonna take down the statue? Cuz he was a major slave owner. Now are we gonna take down his statue? So you know what? It's fine. You're changing history. 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