Donald Trump joked about quitting as US president if his hosting of the annual Kennedy Center awards went well.But viewership ratings for this year’s annual ceremony plummeted to a record low amid controversy over his takeover of the premier Washington arts complex, to which Trump’s name was added this month.The 2025 awards broadcast on CBS averaged 3.01 million viewers, according to a report from Nielsen Live + Same Day Panel + Big Data, cited by industry journals Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.The figure was down 25 percent from 2024’s figure of 4.1 million viewers, which was itself a record low and down from 2023’s 4.5 million.Former reality TV star Trump was the first US president to host the awards gala, which this year honored “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone, “Phantom of the Opera” star Michael Crawford, disco legend Gloria Gaynor, rock band KISS and country legend George Strait.Since returning to office in January, the 79-year-old Republican has launched a forceful takeover of the center, branding it too “woke” and installing himself as chairman of a hand-picked board.Shortly before the December 23 broadcast of the awards ceremony, which was taped on December 7, Trump took to his Truth Social network to say he was hosting it at the request of “just about everybody.””Tell me what you think of my ‘Master of Ceremony’ abilities. If really good, would you like me to leave the Presidency in order to make ‘hosting’ a full time job?” he posted.The center was renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center earlier this month in a vote by the board that sparked outrage from family members of the late John F. Kennedy.A number of artists including a prominent jazz group and a dance company have since canceled shows at the center to protest the new name.Richard Grenell, the Trump-appointed president of the arts center, denounced the performers canceling shows and said they “were booked by the previous far left leadership.””Boycotting the Arts to show you support the Arts is a form of derangement syndrome,” he wrote on X late Monday.According to US media reports, ticket sales have declined since the new board of directors took over.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was withdrawing National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, following a series of legal setbacks over his military deployments in US cities.The Republican had sent troops into several cities run by Democrats during his first year back in power, in what he called a crackdown on illegal immigration and crime.Local leaders slammed the moves as authoritarian overreach and launched a string of successful legal challenges, with the US Supreme Court last week blocking the Chicago deployment.”We are removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, despite the fact that CRIME has been greatly reduced by having these great Patriots in those cities, and ONLY by that fact,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.In the message on New Year’s Eve, Trump said the three cities “were GONE if it weren’t for the Federal Government stepping in.””We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again — Only a question of time!” Trump added.Trump’s deployments of National Guard troops have been a centerpiece of his hardline policies on immigration and crime since returning to the White House in January.The 79-year-old billionaire and former reality star has also sent the National Guard into the capital Washington and to Memphis, Tennessee, and threatened to send them to San Francisco.But the Trump administration had already begun to pull some troops from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland in recent weeks as court judgments went against it.”He lost in court when Illinois stood up against his attempt to militarize American cities with the National Guard. Now Trump is forced to stand down,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said on X.- ‘Illegal intimidation tactic’ -Los Angeles became the first city to have troops on the streets in June when Trump went over the heads of local Democratic leaders to order 4,000 National Guard reservists to put down protests over immigration raids.Those local leaders said the relatively minor protests, which affected only a few blocks in America’s second largest metropolis, could easily be handled by city, county and state law enforcement.On December 10, a federal judge ordered Trump’s administration to end the Los Angeles deployment and return control of the soldiers to California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.Most had already been demobilized, with the US military saying 100 Guard troops remained deployed at the time.Hours before Trump’s announcement, Newsom said the administration had formally stopped opposing the federal court’s ruling on the troops. An appellate court made it official, ruling that the lower court’s order to return control should move forward.”This admission by Trump and his occult cabinet members means this illegal intimidation tactic will finally come to an end,” Newsom, who is widely seen as a likely Democratic contender for the presidency in 2028, said on X.Trump meanwhile ordered military forces from Texas and California to Chicago and Portland in early October. As of last week, some 300 National Guard troops remained activated in the Chicago area but were not engaged in operations.A judge in November ruled the Portland deployment unlawful and ordered it permanently blocked.

Zohran Mamdani, the young upstart of the US left, was readying Wednesday to take over as New York mayor for a term sure to see him cross swords with President Donald Trump.After the clocks strike midnight (0500 GMT Thursday), bringing in 2026, Mamdani will take his oath of office at an abandoned subway stop, taking the helm of the United States’ largest city. He will be New York’s first Muslim mayor.His office says the understated venue for the swearing-in reflects his commitment to working people, after the 34-year-old Democrat campaigned on promises to address the soaring cost of living. “Our campaign was built around listening to the people of New York, and we will govern in the same way. Tomorrow, we get to work,” Mamdani said Wednesday on X.But it remains to be seen if Mamdani — virtually unknown a year ago — can deliver on his ambitious agenda, which envisions rent freezes, universal childcare and free public buses.Once an election is over, “symbolism only goes so far with voters. Results begin to matter a whole lot more,” New York University lecturer John Kane said.How Trump handles Mamdani’s arrival at City Hall could be a decisive factor. The Republican, himself a New Yorker, has repeatedly criticized Mamdani, but the pair held surprisingly cordial talks at the White House in November.Lincoln Mitchell, a political analyst and professor at Columbia University, said the meeting “couldn’t have gone better from Mamdani’s perspective.”But he warned their relationship could quickly sour. One flashpoint might be immigration raids as Trump wages an expanding crackdown on migrants across the United States.Mamdani has vowed to protect immigrant communities.Before the November vote, the president also threatened to slash federal funding for New York if it picked Mamdani, whom he called a “communist lunatic.”The mayor-elect has said he believes Trump is a fascist.- Block party -Mamdani’s private swearing-in at midnight to start his four-year term will be performed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who successfully prosecuted Trump for fraud.A larger, ceremonial inauguration is scheduled for Thursday with speeches from left-wing allies Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.Around 4,000 ticketed guests are expected to attend the event outside City Hall.Mamdani’s team has also organized a block party that it says will enable tens of thousands of people to watch the ceremony at streetside viewing areas along Broadway.In a first for the city, Mamdani will use several Korans to be sworn in as mayor — two from his family and one that belonged to Puerto Rico-born Black writer Arturo Schomburg, The New York Times reported.The new job comes with a change of address as he swaps his rent-controlled apartment in the borough of Queens for the luxurious mayor’s residence in Manhattan.Some had wondered if he would move to the official mansion given his campaigning on affordability issues. Mamdani said he is doing so mainly for security reasons.Born in Uganda to a family of Indian origin, Mamdani moved to New York at age seven and enjoyed an elite upbringing with only a relatively brief stint in politics, becoming a member of the New York State Assembly before being elected mayor. Compensating for his inexperience, he is surrounding himself with seasoned aides recruited from past mayoral administrations and former US president Joe Biden’s government.Mamdani has also opened dialogue with business leaders, some of whom predicted a massive exodus of wealthy New Yorkers if he won. Real estate leaders have debunked those claims.As a defender of Palestinian rights, he will have to reassure the Jewish community of his inclusive leadership. Recently, one of his hires resigned after it was revealed she had posted antisemitic tweets years ago.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Paris was welcome to Hollywood star George Clooney after the actor got French citizenship — and took the opportunity to bash France, too.Trump, whose administration has backed anti-immigration parties in Europe, said key ally France had a “horrendous” problem with crime and immigration.An official decree seen by AFP on Monday showed that 64-year-old Oscar winner Clooney, his wife Amal Alamuddin Clooney and their two children had become French citizens.”Good News! George and Amal Clooney, two of the worst political prognosticators of all time, have officially become citizens of France which is, sadly, in the midst of a major crime problem because of their absolutely horrendous handling of immigration,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.In one of a string of posts on New Year’s Eve, Trump added that France’s alleged problems were “much like we had under Sleepy Joe Biden,” his Democratic predecessor.”Oceans Eleven” star Clooney is a long-term Democratic supporter and fundraiser, and a vocal critic of Trump.In his social media post, Trump recalled the fact that the actor backed Biden during the 2024 US presidential election but then “dumped” him becoming concerned about the Democrat’s age during a fundraising event he hosted.”Clooney got more publicity for politics than he did for his very few, and totally mediocre, movies. He wasn’t a movie star at all, he was just an average guy who complained, constantly, about common sense in politics,” Trump said.Clooney’s newly acquired citizenship has also raised hackles in France. A junior member of President Emmanuel Macron’s government Wednesday criticized Clooney getting his passport despite speaking poor French, saying the move suggested a “double standard.”The news comes ahead of language requirements for citizenship being toughened for everyone else under new immigration rules from January 1.