CNN pundit Tia Mitchell said the administration had “struggled to find a person of color who would agree to be on the list.”

The White House took umbrage after a guest on CNN said the Kennedy Center had chosen to honor 81-year-old Gloria Gaynor merely because she is a person of color. On August 13, President Donald Trump unveiled this year’s Kennedy Center honorees, which include Gaynor, known for hit songs “I Will Survive” and “Eye of the Tiger.” Tia Mitchell, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Washington bureau chief, told CNN’s This Morning Weekend Saturday that Gaynor had been selected because of diversity considerations.