Story highlights A Kennedy Center official said this will be the fourth instance of a President not attending

The announcement comes following a week of unrest and political instability in the White House

Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will not attend the annual Kennedy Center Honors in December, the White House announced Saturday morning.

"The President and First Lady have decided not to participate in this year's activities to allow the honorees to celebrate without any political distraction," a statement from the White House read.

The decision came after some honorees said they would boycott the White House reception. Dancer and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade and television writer and producer Norman Lear said they would not be attending that part of the event.

"In light of the socially divisive and morally caustic narrative that our existing leadership is choosing to engage in, and in keeping with the principles that I and so many others have fought for, I will be declining the invitation to attend the reception at the White House," de Lavallade said in a statement last week.

Lear previously told The Washington Post he would skip the White House reception in protest over the administration's proposal to cut funding for the arts.

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