Trump praises Frank Spencer actor as he prepares for major summit - sometimes the script writes itself

It’s official. Donald Trump will host the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors – Washington’s annual black-tie celebration of artistic achievement.

In previous years, occupants of the White House simply attended the event in the building named after President John F Kennedy.

Earlier this year, the US president sacked the board and installed himself as chairman and is threatening to put his own name on the door.

“GREAT nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY Center, whoops, I mean KENNEDY CENTER AWARDS…” he posted on his Truth Social platform.

Vowing that the show will be “non-woke”, he announced this year’s nominees – a stroll through Trump’s cultural sweet spot:

George Strait, who’s branded the king of country music
Sylvester Stallone, who, as Rocky Balboa, defeated the Cold War in a boxing ring
Gloria Gaynor, whose “I will survive” could double as Trump’s campaign theme
KISS, whose pyrotechnics will have the Secret Service on edge all evening
And, wait for it, the British Broadway star, Michael Crawford

Crawford’s West End and Broadway career spans Barnum, The Woman in White and, of course, The Phantom Of The Opera..

The Phantom’s tendency to buy grand, chandelier-filled buildings, has won the approval of the real-estate mogul now remodelling the White House.

But there’s something Americans might have missed – the character who made Michael Crawford a household name back home: Frank Spencer.

The star of the sitcom “Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em” was endlessly optimistic but completely hapless, and oblivious to his own incompetence.

Revealing that he would host the awards himself, just two days before he hosts Vladimir Putin, is quintessential Trump, the prime-time president.

But “Ooh Betty,” as Frank Spencer would say, when Donald Trump extols Michael Crawford, an icon of slapstick comedy, the script writes itself.