WASHINGTON — Comedian Bill Maher was the guest of honor at the Kennedy Center on Sunday night. But President Donald Trump's presence wasn't far away.
Just moments after Maher began to accept the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Matt Friend, a leading impersonator of the president, took to the stage and, in Trump's voice, joked that he would accept the award himself. Trump was the punchline for other comedians and entertainers, including Whitney Cummings, Jay Leno and Woody Harrelson.
The barbs were notable for unfolding in an iconic performing arts venue that has become a metaphor for Trump's second-term effort to remake Washington in his image. But they were also paired with knocks at extremes in both political parties as Maher called out "groupthink.”
“If you hang around long enough and create something important enough, everyone hates you at some point,” Maher said.
Trump didn't attend the ceremony. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was the most prominent member of the administration in attendance. Other political guests included Paul Dans, who helped shape the Republican Project 2025 agenda. Some Democrats were in attendance, including Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
The future of the Kennedy Center hung over the event. Shortly after Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, the Republican president fired much of the center's leadership and installed a board largely composed of allies. It named Trump as chairman and his name was added to the building's iconic facade, prompting a legal battle that became a proxy fight over the extent of the president's power.
Trump later said the Kennedy Center would close in July for a two-year renovation. But U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper upended those plans in May by ruling that Trump's name was illegally added to the building, ordering it removed. The judge also has blocked the closure.
A legal saga that became fodder for jokes
Trump's name has come down from the building, in compliance with the judge's order. But the part of the building once covered with letters spelling the president's name is now shrouded in a tarp. The full closure is on hold. Lawyers for the Kennedy Center have said they are not planning for now to build out programming.
Cooper has asked for an update next month on how long the tarp will remain on the building. For now, the final event scheduled for the Kennedy Center's well-known Concert Hall is “The Freedom Gathering: A Musical Celebration” on July 3.
The legal fight has turned into a saga that at points became fodder for jokes at the Twain gala.
At one point, Harrelson joked “we fixed that" in a nod to the court order calling for Trump's name to be removed from the building.
Ahead of the ceremony, Lutnick said Trump “wants to make this building sensational.”
But others were more skeptical. As he walked the red carpet ahead of the ceremony, Leno said Trump’s moves at the Kennedy Center were both “hilarious” and about “vanity.”
“It's not a war,” he said. “It's not people getting killed. It's not anti Semitism. It's a silly thing covering a name. I mean what's funnier than that? I mean it's just like, you know it's high school with money.”
Friend said he felt there was a “hunger games vibe” as he entered the building.
“It's crazy,” he said of the changes Trump has pushed for.
Maher and Trump have a fraught relationship
Given Trump's sway over the Kennedy Center, Maher's selection for the award was notable because the two men have long had a fraught relationship.
Before he entered politics, Trump filed a $5 million lawsuit against Maher in 2013 for breach of contract. Appearing on Leno’s “The Tonight Show,” Maher said he would give $5 million to the charity of Trump’s choice if Trump could prove he was not “the spawn of his mother having sex with an orangutan.”
Trump claimed that when he provided his birth certificate, Maher did not pay up, prompting the lawsuit. Trump ended up dropping it.
The Trump-Maher relationship exploded again earlier this year, when the president claimed on social media that he wasted time sitting down for a meal with the comedian last year.
Maher hosted Vice President JD Vance on his show heading into the weekend. Vance, who is promoting a book, said he watches the show and laughed at Maher's monologue “even though you were making fun of me.” During the interview, Maher pressed Vance on the Iran war, immigration enforcement and election conspiracy theories.
“You guys have two outcomes that an election can be,” Maher told Vance. “Either we win or they cheated. That s—- has to stop.”
The Twain prize ceremony will air on Netflix on July 21.
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Associated Press videojournalist John Carucci contributed to this report.