Bill Maher, the comedian who angered Trump, will receive the prestigious Mark Twain Award, although the White House already had time to deny it

in Washington located in the performing arts center Kennedy Center confirmed on Thursdaythat comedian-presenter Bill Maher will be awarded the prestigious Mark Twain Award.

The decision is peculiar, because the White House communications director Steven Cheung posted an update on social media last week saying that Maher’s award is “literally fake news.” The press chief of the White House also had time to dismiss the matter as fake news Caroline Leavitt.

Leavitt and Cheung made the comments shortly after The Atlantic reported Maher’s award last week. They talk about it, among other things NBC and The New York Times.

Kennedy The Center, or according to the current management the Trump Kennedy Center, published a press release on Thursday in which Maher’s award was confirmed, despite the criticism of the White House.

The center’s director of communications Rome Daravi said in the press release that Maher had been influencing the American conversation for decades “one politically incorrect joke at a time”.

“It was just explained to me what the award is about, and apparently it’s like an Emmy, except I win it,” Maher commented in the press release.

The award will be presented to Maher on June 28.

The White House has not commented on Maher’s award since it was officially confirmed.

Maherin and Trump’s relationship has been notoriously contentious for a long time.

Trump sued Maher in 2013 and demanded five million dollars in damages. Maher had promised at the time The Tonight Show with Jay Leno – program will give money to charity if Trump could use a birth certificate to prove that he is not a descendant of an orangutan.

It was Maher’s parody of Trump, formerly president Barack Obamalle of a similar challenge. Trump later withdrew the suit.

Earlier this year, Trump claimed on social media that Maher was “extremely nervous” and dreaded meeting the president at the White House last April, when Maher attended a dinner hosted by Trump. According to Maher, the dinner organized at the White House was nice, and he has said that he was not intimidated by the meeting with Trump.

Kennedy The Center has been awarding the Mark Twain Award since 1998 to artists who have emerged as conversationalists who highlight social grievances without forgetting humor.

They have previously received the award, among other things Conan O’Brien, Dave Chappelle, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Letterman, Carol Burnett and Tina Fey.

The Kennedy Center has suffered a mass exodus of artists since its management was replaced by a pro-Trump one.

The mass exodus accelerated after last December, when the government appointed by Trump decided that the name of the center will henceforth be The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, abbreviated Trump Kennedy Center.

Trump announced in February that he would close the Kennedy Center completely for a two-year renovation. The center will reportedly close on US Independence Day, July 4, just a few days after the awards ceremony.