Tom Cruise reportedly turned down a chance to be honored by President Donald Trump with an award at the Kennedy Center, according to The Washington Post.

The outlet reported that the “Top Gun: Maverick” star cited “scheduling conflicts” when asked to attend the gala at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C., on December 7.

Cruise, 63, remains silent on political issues, and redirected the conversation when a Korean reporter pressed him on the issue of Trump and tariffs at a press junket for “Mission: Impossible 8” earlier this year.

“We’d rather answer questions about the movie. Thank you,” the actor said.

Notably, Cruise has a history of skipping awards shows, especially considering how fans believe he’s been snubbed by the Academy on multiple occasions after being nominated for an Oscar three times, but never winning.

President Trump made headlines earlier this week when he announced this year’s Kennedy Center honorees personally during a press conference.

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This year’s celebrity honorees include country singer George Strait, legendary actor Sylvester Stallone, the rock band KISS, “Phantom of the Opera” actor Michael Crawford, and singer Gloria Gaynor, as The Daily Wire previously reported.

“The 48th Kennedy Center Honorees are outstanding people, incredible, we can’t wait … in a few short months since I became chairman of the board, the Kennedy Center, we’ve completely reversed the decline of this cherished national institution,” Trump said during his speech on Wednesday.

When asked if he participated in the selection process, Trump said he was “about 98% involved” and that “they all came through me.”

The president flat out said he turned down certain suggestions for being too “woke.”

“I turned down plenty, they were too woke. … I had a couple of wokesters. No, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be,” Trump added. He went on to mention other Hollywood awards shows, which seemingly take an opposite approach.

“Look at the Academy Awards — it gets lousy ratings now, it’s all woke. All they do is talk about how much they hate Trump, but nobody likes that. They don’t watch anymore,” Trump said.

Tropical Storm Erin intensified to become the first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, with Caribbean residents bracing for what forecasters warn could become a dangerous Category 3 storm as early as Sunday.

The National Hurricane Center confirmed Hurricane Erin reached sustained winds of 75 mph Friday morning, with the storm currently located approximately 460 miles east of the nearest Caribbean islands, NBC News reported.

Hurricane #Erin Advisory 17: Erin Becomes the First Hurricane of the 2025 Season. Expected to Pass Near Or North of the Leeward Islands On Saturday. https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 15, 2025

According to the Weather Channel, next week, “Erin is expected to pass between North Carolina and Bermuda,” with several northern Caribbean islands likely impacted, and forecasters are noting there remains some uncertainty regarding the hurricane’s impact on the U.S. East Coast.

“Erin is turning toward the west-northwest as it strengthens. This path will take Erin toward progressively warmer waters, which, in tandem with low wind shear, should allow Erin to become a major hurricane this weekend as it makes a close brush, or travels just north of the Caribbean islands,” The Weather Channel added.

Given its current trajectory through warm water in the open ocean, the National Hurricane Center projects Hurricane Erin reaching Category 4 status as early as next week.

JUST IN: Erin has been upgraded to a Category 1 Hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.

It is the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season.

Erin is forecast to become a Major Hurricane late weekend/early next week, topping out as a Category 4. pic.twitter.com/FeSdBfnHWd

— MyRadar Weather (@MyRadarWX) August 15, 2025

Tropical Storm Watches have been issued for several Caribbean islands, including Anguilla, Barbuda, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, Saba, St. Eustatius, and Sint Maarten, meaning tropical storm conditions are possible within the next 48 hours, Fox Weather reported.

The system is forecast to dump between two and four inches of rain in its early stages, with isolated areas potentially receiving up to six inches, potentially triggering flash/urban flooding, landslides, and mudslides across the northernmost Leeward Islands, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and southern and eastern Puerto Rico, per NBC.

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The disturbance that eventually became Hurricane Erin caused significant destruction in the African Cabo Verde islands earlier this week. Images from the island of São Vicente showed extensive flooding with muddy water rushing through streets and damaging homes, killing multiple people, per Fox Weather.

Emergency management officials in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are urging residents to review hurricane plans and secure emergency supplies despite forecasts showing the storm’s center remaining offshore.