This year's Kennedy Center honorees are country singer and Grammy Award-winner George Strait ; Broadway actor and singer Michael Crawford, known for originating the lead role in The Phantom of the Opera ; the actor Sylvester Stallone, star of the Rocky and Rambo movies; disco singer Gloria Gaynor , known for her women's empowerment anthem "I Will Survive"; and the rock band Kiss .

At a press conference on Wednesday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, President Trump said he was "very involved" in selecting the group — a departure for the Kennedy Center Honors. Traditionally, the recipients are selected in a months-long, bipartisan undertaking by members of the Kennedy Center board with input from the general public and past honorees.

But on Tuesday, s

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