00:00Tom Cruise refused Trump's invite to receive Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Award.
00:05Tom Cruise won't be shaking hands with Donald Trump anytime soon.
00:09The Mission Impossible star has declined the Kennedy Center's Lifetime Achievement Award from the president.
00:15Despite his on-screen heroics, Cruise, 63, cited scheduling conflicts as the reason for his refusal.
00:21Several employees claimed Cruise was chosen to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 48th Kennedy Center Honors, but he declined the offer.
00:29The Top Gun stars' camp cited scheduling conflicts for his inability to accept the honor from President Trump.
00:34Honorees are usually selected through a bipartisan process.
00:38However, this year diverged after Trump assumed control as board chair.
00:42Staff were blindsided on Tuesday, August 12, when Trump announced honorees had been chosen.
00:46And Kennedy Center Honors executive producer Matthew Weiner turned in his resignation.
00:52Trump was about 98 percent involved in selections.
00:54His bizarre comments and slurred speech led Dementia Dawn to trend on social media.
01:00While many social media users questioned if Trump was mentally fit to serve due to his incoherent speech,
01:06others criticized him as a narcissist after he proposed awarding himself a Kennedy Center Award.
01:12Despite recognizing the honor's prestige since 1978,
01:15Trump declared his intention to self-award due to never having received one.
01:19His actions were seen as a desperate plea for affirmation,
01:23a behavior far from leadership, sparking further criticism of his self-centric demeanor.
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