Gloria Gaynor Is The Proud Recipient Of Medal Of Honor From Trump

Gloria Gaynor was all smiles while receiving her Kennedy Center Honors medal from Donald Trump.

Gloria Gaynor was all smiles at the Oval Office while receiving a 2025 Kennedy Center Honors medal from Donald Trump.

The “I Will Survive” singer was front and center alongside Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, members of KISS, and Michael Crawford, all of whom received custom Tiffany & Co. gold medals on the newly introduced blue ribbon after the Trump administration replaced the traditional rainbow ribbon used in previous Kennedy Honors ceremonies, The New York Post reported.

“This is a group of icons whose work and accomplishments have inspired, uplifted and unified millions and millions of Americans,” Trump, the Chairman of the Kennedy Center, told the room. “This is perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class of Kennedy Center Honorees ever assembled.”

Outside the Oval Office, the Rose Garden played classics like Gloria Gaynor’s 1978 anthem “I Will Survive” and KISS’s “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” along with other hits from the performers. In a follow-up Instagram post, the Kennedy Center honored “the Queen of Disco” Gaynor and announced that the ceremonies will air on Dec. 23.

“The Queen of Disco herself, Gloria Gaynor, winner of the first-ever Grammy for Best Disco Recording, arrives on the Kennedy Center red carpet as we celebrate her induction into the 48th Honors class,” the Kennedy Center wrote.

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The comments section showed mixed reactions to Gaynor being dubbed “the Queen of Disco,” with some arguing that the title rightfully belongs to the late Donna Summer.

“The Queen of Disco is Donna Summer. Put some respect on her name, a One Hit Wonder could never. So shut up, please,” one user wrote.

Another user defended Gaynor, calling her a “pioneer” of disco music. The mixed reactions to her Kennedy Center Honor follow reports of her support for the Republican Party, revealing donations of about $22,000 since 2023 to right-leaning politicians, including Mike Johnson, Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, and Marsha Blackburn. Gaynor—who made the donations under her birth name, Gloria Fowles—processed many of the contributions through WinRed, a Republican fundraising platform.

After skipping the honors during his first term amid artist protests, Trump said he was “heavily involved” in this year’s selection process and personally filtered out some potential honorees, a task traditionally handled by a bipartisan committee. The 48th annual Kennedy Center Honors will air nationwide on CBS and Paramount+ on Tuesday, December 23, at 8 PM ET/PT.