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Disco legend Gloria Gaynor has been revealed to be a donor to Republican politicians, shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump selected her as one of this year’s Kennedy Center honorees.
The 81-year-old singer is best known for her 1978 anthem ‘I Will Survive,’ an LGBTQ+anthem.
She will be honored alongside actor Sylvester Stallone, country artist George Strait, British performer Michael Crawford, and rock band KISS at the December gala in Washington, D.C.
- Gloria Gaynor, known for the LGBTQ+ anthem 'I Will Survive,' has donated thousands to MAGA candidates and causes since 2023.
- U.S. President Donald Trump personally selected Gaynor as a 2025 Kennedy Center honoree after taking control and dismissing the prior board.
- Gaynor’s donations include money to top Republicans like Ted Cruz, Kevin McCarthy, Mike Johnson, and Marco Rubio.
- Ana Navarro criticized Gaynor’s acceptance of the award from Trump, citing his record on women, the LGBTQ+ community, and people of color.
‘I Will Survive’ singer Gloria Gaynor has donated thousands of dollars to MAGA candidates
Image credits: Gary Gershoff/Getty Images
The decision, announced earlier this month by Trump, came after the president assumed direct control of the Kennedy Center earlier this year.
At the time of the announcement, Gaynor’s ties to Trump were unclear.
Now, newly uncovered Federal Election Commission records show the two-time Grammy winner has donated nearly $22,000 to MAGA candidates and causes since 2023.
According to filings first highlighted by MeidasTouch, Gaynor made four separate donations to the Republican fundraising platform WinRed.
Her first donation was logged on August 29, 2023, and she has continued giving since then, sometimes multiple times in a single month.
Image credits: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Most of her donations ranged between 50 cents and $104.10.
Beyond general contributions, Gaynor also directed money to individual Republican figures.
Records show donations of $476 to Texas senator Ted Cruz, $356 to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and $2,160 to current Speaker Mike Johnson.
She also gave more than $1,100 to Trump’s acting national security adviser, Marco Rubio.
Other recipients of her support include former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, former Housing Secretary Ben Carson, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
Tom Cruise was also offered a Kennedy Center Honor, but has reportedly turned down an invitation this year due to “scheduling conflicts.”
Tom Cruise was also offered an honor, but reportedly turned it down
Image credits: Jamie McCarthy/WireImage
Gaynor confirmed this week that she will accept the Kennedy Center honor.
“My hope is that in accepting this honor, I can continue with the inspirational phenomenon that began with ‘I Will Survive,’” Gaynor said in a statement Wednesday.
“Sharing my music and art on a global level to provide encouragement, hope, empowerment, inspiration, understanding, and unity is the core of my purpose.”
Her decision to accept the award has sparked debate. The View co-host Ana Navarro, a longtime Trump critic, urged Gaynor to reject the honor, saying that the president’s record on women and the LGBTQ+ community clashed with the meaning of her most famous song.
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
“Look, the woman is a goddess and deserves all the flowers that come her way,” Navarro wrote on Instagram on August 14. “But I wish she wouldn’t accept an award from the hands of a man who has attacked the rights and history of women, people of color and LGBTQ.”
“Trump is a stain on the prestige and significance of the KCH. Don’t do it, Gloria!” she added.
Trump’s selection of honorees marks a major shift in how the Kennedy Center operates.
Traditionally, the awards were chosen by a bipartisan committee of arts leaders. But in February, Trump dismissed the Biden-appointed board, installed loyalists, and named himself chairman.
Trump also said he was 98% involved in the selection process of the honorees, and further added that he turned down plenty of nominees because “they were too woke.”
Trump vowed to ban drag shows at the Kennedy Center because they were “woke” in February this year.
In announcing Gaynor as a recipient, Trump said. “To have the two, top two, top of anything in that span of time, and with that kind of period between, is pretty amazing.
“But I will say that ‘I Will Survive’ is an unbelievable song. I’ve heard it, you know, like everyone else here, thousands of times, and it’s one of those few that get better every time you hear it, and nobody can sing it like her.”
Trump said he turned down many candidates for the honor because they were ‘woke’
Image credits: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
The ceremony will be staged at the Kennedy Center Opera House on December 7, with Trump himself hosting.
Trump said during the honoree’s announcement that he always wanted a Kennedy Center award, but “was never able to get one … I said, ‘The hell with it, I’ll become chairman and I’ll give myself an honor.’ Next year, we’ll honor Trump, okay?”
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