Trump’s botched renaming sparks jokes as Maher receives Mark Twain Award from Kennedy Center | Bill Maher

Outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a giant tarp remained in place to hide Donald Trump’s humiliation.

Guests entering the National Arts Complex on Sunday evening were unable to see the portion of its marble facade where Trump’s name had recently been erased in compliance with the court order.

But once they sat down for the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ceremony, there was nowhere to hide as the artists delivered broadsides at the expense of an American president whose power appears to be waning, at least in this corner of Washington, D.C.

In honoring this year’s winner, comedian Bill Maher, actor Woody Harrelson said: “Finally, an award for my good friend – ironically at the Trump Kennedy Center. No, well, we fixed that.”

The audience exploded with applause. “It’s not like I was able to notice that,” Harrelson then added, apparently acknowledging the presence of the fabric-covered scaffolding.

Trump took control of the Kennedy Center last year, and installed himself as its president. Its select board voted to rename it the Trump Kennedy Center and put its name on the wall. But last month, a judge ruled that adding Trump’s name to the building was illegal, and ordered the 18 letters removed.

On Sunday, the red carpet wallpaper featured the name “Kennedy Center” but not Trump’s name, but framed photos of the president, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and second lady Osha Vance remained on the wall.

The legal saga surrounding the building became instant fodder for jokes at the party. “It’s funny to me,” former late night host Jay Leno said on the red carpet. “It’s not war, it’s not anti-Semitism, it’s not racism — it’s arrogance. It’s so ridiculous, it’s like high school with money. Covering the name now — it’s funny! It’s high school. ‘I’ll show them, I’ll cover the name!'”“

During the party, which Trump did not attend, comedian Whitney Cummings joked: “I’m so glad we all celebrated Bill tonight, even though Trump is now the chairman of this place. He actually has a lot of power here and has a say in the productions that are shown here, so enjoy ‘Whit Hamilton’ which will run for three months this fall.”

Hamilton, a musical written and composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, portrayed actors of color as the Founding Fathers of the United States. Its producers canceled a planned show at the Kennedy Center this year in direct response to Trump’s power grab and will perform at the city’s National Theater instead.

“The thing about comedy is that we’re not afraid. We try not to be afraid of people who bully,” Cummings added pointedly.

Just moments after Maher began accepting the award, Matt Friend, one of the president’s most prominent impersonators, took the stage and jokingly said in a Trump voice that he would accept the award himself. “I’ve had one of the greatest comedy careers of all time,” he said. “I laugh a lot harder than this guy!”

The friend also mocked Maher’s recent dinner at the White House with Trump, who signed off on a list of insults he directed at Maher. The comedian later denied that he had made a “deal” or compromised his values. “That dinner was always about getting both sides talking to each other instead of yelling at each other,” he told the Trump impersonator.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper invalidated the president’s grand designs, halting his plans to close the entire center in July for a two-year, $257 million renovation. Trump posted on social media that Cooper “should be ashamed of himself,” noted that he was done with the Kennedy Center, and wrote: “I have no interest in continuing what could just be a hopeless flight to Never Land. The Board has not yet decided on his next step.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday that the president remains committed to the center. He said: “The president is not only the supreme leader, but he is the supreme builder.

“He’s going to do his best to make this building shine and I think he’ll succeed. These stadiums are always fighting with him, but in the end he wins, and we all know it. It’s only a matter of time. He’ll figure it out to win, and I’m here to help.”“

Asked how Trump felt about removing his name, Lutnicks said: “I’m not talking about what the president wants to do. I leave it to him. He gets the facts when he wants to. I’m smart that way. I’m a smart fellow.”

Maher, 70, relishes his persona as a single, conflicted atheist who challenges groupthink and attacks Trump as well as the “woke” left. The ceremony highlighted his role as an “equal opportunity criminal” on shows such as “Politically Incorrect” and “Real Time with Bill Maher,” where he grilled Vance last week.

Among those honoring Maher are businesswoman Arianna Huffington, TV personality Steven Smith and comedian Louis CK, who in 2017 admitted to allegations of sexual misconduct by several women including fellow comedians.

Maher, who took the stage to accept his award, spoke about his 33-year career in television, expressing his pride in his refusal to coddle his viewers or give in to partisan demands. “People say they want honesty. But they don’t. They want to live in a bubble,” Maher told the audience, praising his loyal audience as a unique group that “doesn’t demand conformity.”

He added: “I’m not asking what will please the audience. I’m asking what’s right and they agree to that.”

The ceremony attracted an unusual mix of Democrats, Republicans, Trump officials and members of the public in liberal Washington. Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California, who appeared on Maher’s HBO show, was among those in attendance.

“It’s important for America to have comedians who can choose from both sides,” said Mehmet Oz, a television personality and director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “I worry that a lot of late-night humor is always directed at one side, so if you know the punchline before the comedian says it, it’s not funny. If the punchline is always Donald Trump, well, please, give me a little something else.”

Ana Paulina Luna, a Republican congresswoman from Florida, praised Maher as a “traditional Democratic Democrat” whose willingness to expose “insanity” is vital to keeping the polarized country together.

John Fetterman, a Democratic senator from Pennsylvania, walked the red carpet to declare his ideological kinship with Maher. Fetterman praised Maher’s steadfast support for Israel, noting that there was “no clear difference” between his views and those of the comedian — a position that made them “isolated” within the Democratic Party.

Asked about the controversy surrounding the Kennedy Center and the president’s aggressive renovations, Fetterman said: “The center will outlast the Trump administration and I’m not worried about putting someone’s name on it.”“.

The Mark Twain Prize was established in 1998. Maher joins a list of winners that includes Richard Pryor, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Jon Stewart and Conan O’Brien. The concert is scheduled to be broadcast on Netflix on July 21.