On Sunday night, President Donald Trump took to the stage in Washington, DC to host the annual Kennedy Center Honors. Presidents traditionally attend the awards, although Trump declined to do so in his first term. Now, after purging the Center’s traditionally bipartisan board of ideological rivals and installing himself as chair, Trump has become the first president to emcee the night. For Trump, the event seems to have been an opportunity not just for vengeance against “woke” Hollywood but for vindication of his own cachet as a TV host.

“I’ve watched some of the people that host,” remarked Trump, former Apprentice host, on the Saturday before the event. “Jimmy Kimmel was horrible. If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president.”

Kimmel has never hosted the Kennedy Center Honors, although he appeared onstage in 2014 as part of a tribute to David Letterman. Kimmel has, however, hosted the Oscars, and Trump appears to have decided that the Kennedy Center Honors are his equivalent. More importantly, Kimmel has been a vocal........

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