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However now, the Mission: Not possible star is making headlines for a really totally different motive.
And whereas Tom often eschews politics as a way to maintain the general public’s give attention to his motion pictures (and stunts), his newest motion would possibly place him squarely within the heart of the nation’s unending hyper-partisan household feud.
Tom Cruise attends the “F1: The Movie” European Premiere at Cineworld Leicester Sq. on June 23, 2025 in London, England. (Picture by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Photographs)
Did Tom Cruise simply publicly snub Donald Trump?
Yearly, the Kennedy Heart honors a number of People for his or her cultural contributions.
A medal from the group is taken into account one of many highest honors an artist or entertainer can obtain, and this yr’s honorees embrace George Strait, KISS, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, and Sylvester Stallone.
However regardless of a proposal from the White Home, Tom Cruise won’t be available to obtain an award when the annual ceremony takes place in December.
In accordance with a report from The Washington Put up, Cruise has declined to be among the many first group of Kennedy Heart nominees for Trump’s second time period.
Tom Cruise attends the “F1: The Movie” European Premiere at Cineworld Leicester Sq. on June 23, 2025 in London, England. (Picture by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Photographs)
Unnamed Kennedy Heart workers say that the display legend turned the supply down attributable to “scheduling conflicts.”
In fact, that’s the excuse celebs at all times give once they don’t need to attend an occasion. And the ceremony — which remains to be a number of months away — would solely require a pair hours of Cruise’s time.
The politicization of the Kennedy Heart honors
Previously, the Kennedy Heart was a largely apolitical group. However nothing is apolitical in 2025.
Trump introduced his intention to take over operations of the Kennedy Heart shortly after taking workplace for his second time period.
And within the months since, he’s proceeded to do precisely that.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media aboard Air Power One on August 15, 2025, in flight. President Trump is touring to Anchorage, Alaska, for peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the struggle with Ukraine. (Picture by Andrew Harnik/Getty Photographs)
Actually, Trump intends to host this yr’s ceremony, an unprecedented transfer for a sitting president.
Trump grew to become chairman of the Kennedy Heart Committee again in February, and he says he took a hands-on method to choosing this yr’s honorees.
“I would say I was about 98 percent involved. They all went through me,” the president mentioned, per the Put up.
“I had a couple of wokesters. Now, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be, very different.”
U.S. President Donald Trump takes a query from a reporter aboard Air Power One on August 15, 2025, in flight. President Trump is touring to Anchorage, Alaska, for peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the struggle with Ukraine. (Picture by Andrew Harnik/Getty Photographs)
The Put up additionally quotes Trump as saying he at all times wished an award from the Kennedy Heart, however “was never able to get one.”
“I waited and waited and waited, and I said, ‘The hell with it, I’ll become chairman and I’ll give myself an honor,’” he continued, including, “Next year, we’ll honor Trump, okay?”
We might by no means know for positive why Cruise opted out of any involvement on this yr’s awards.
However we’re guessing that December’s presentation ceremony can be in contrast to some other in Kennedy Heart historical past.