Donald Trump joked about quitting as US president if his hosting of the annual Kennedy Center awards went well. Trump-hosted Kennedy Center awards gala ratings plummet 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 …