Sylvester Stallone praises Trump after receiving Kennedy Center honor: 'He’s an extraordinary man'

WASHINGTON, DC: Actor Sylvester Stallone praised President Donald Trump on Sunday, December 7, calling him an "extraordinary person" while interacting with reporters at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors.

The POTUS presented the 'Rambo' actor with the newly minted medal in the Oval Office on Saturday, December 6, as he was one of this year’s Kennedy Center Honorees.

Sylvester Stallone says Trump is 'very gracious'

Interacting with reporters on Sunday, Sylvester Stallone told a reporter about Donald Trump, "I think he is an extraordinary man. He has the toughest job in the world. Its really easy for people to be critical of him, I get it, because we are dealing with tremondous confrontation from around the world."

Further praising the POTUS, he added, "I have known him for 30 years, and one thing that people don't know is that he is very, very gracious. He will remember your kids names. He will call you during a situation and ask 'How is your mother? How is she doing?' No one knows about that. That's why the Trump I know is quite different to the person he is reported about. I like that man a lot." 

Apart from Stallone, members of the rock band KISS, disco singer Gloria Gaynor, British actor Michael Crawford, and country music legend George Strait were also awarded the gold medallions on Saturday.

Trump said on Saturday, "This is a group of icons whose work and accomplishments have inspired, uplifted, and unified millions and millions of Americans. This is perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class of Kennedy Center Honorees ever assembled."

Trump recalls why Sylvester Stallone was the only one fit to play 'Rocky'

President Trump brought unexpected humor to the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors dinner on Saturday when he discussed the casting of 1976 film 'Rocky.' Trump said that the studios initially considered other big Hollywood names, but their physiques were the dealbreaker.

The POTUS told attendees that while many studios were circling the project, they didn’t want Stallone in the lead at first. He joked, "But the stars didn’t have good bodies. They were flabby. They were not really boxers." 

Trump talked about an unnamed A-lister who nearly snagged the role of Rocky Balboa until the studio head noticed a physical detail that couldn’t be ignored.

"He can’t play the role, he had a lot of flab around the upper-chest area. It’s supposed to be solid like a rock," the POTUS said.

He said that the moment ultimately paved the way for Stallone, who refused to sell his script unless he could star in it. Trump said, "Finally they looked at Sly and said, 'Oh, you’re in good shape. You think you could play the role?'”, drawing laughs from the crowd. 

Meanwhile, the president also praised the actor’s long-standing cultural influence as he highlighted Stallone’s 'Rambo' series, calling it one of Hollywood’s most recognizable franchises.