Last month, in a news conference at the John F. Kennedy Center, President Donald Trump said he was “very involved” in the selection process. The day before the news conference, the staff of the Kennedy Center was told the honorees were already selected, and that same day, the executive producer of the show, Matthew Winer, resigned.

The Kennedy Center announced its annual honorees this past month. The honors are an annual list of artists who are recognized for their contributions to American culture. These honorees in the past have been selected by a bipartisan committee in a months long process that includes input from the public and past honorees.

Trump, at his news conference at the Kennedy Center, spoke about his desire to be an honoree, saying, “I wanted one. I was never able to get one. It’s true, I would have taken it if they had called me. I waited and waited and waited, and I said to hell with it, I’ll become chairman, and I’ll give myself an honor. Next year we’ll honor Trump, OK?” The last part was given in a joking tone, but highlights a strange possibility. At the same event, he announced he would be hosting the show, noting that when he hosted “The Apprentice,” he would get better ratings than the Academy Awards.

This year’s honorees are country singer George Strait, Broadway actor Michael Crawford, movie star Sylvester Stallone, disco singer Gloria Gaynor, and rock band KISS. This class will be forever known as the first class inducted personally by Donald Trump, who was very hands-on in the selection of this class.

Trump has a connection to almost everyone selected for the honors. Most notably would be Gloria Gaynor, who is on record as a strong supporter of Republican politicians since 2023. According to the HuffPost, she is on record as donating to the campaign to reelect Donald Trump.

In the past, Chabot has participated in the American College Theater Festival, which is organized by the Kennedy Center. Dov Hassan, the head of theater arts at Chabot, is not sure how this could impact the theater department’s annual participation in the festival. He says, “ It’s all funded through the Kennedy Center as far as I am aware. We’re not taking students this year, I mean, I’m not waiting for the moment when it’s going to get cut, you know, but I don’t think that’s happened.” This current climate leaves the arts with an unsure feeling for the future of government-controlled programs that concerning the arts. The Chabot theater program will be premiering a new production of “Pipeline” on Oct. 29.

This circumvention of the selection process affects the future more than it would the present. The Kennedy Center Honors have been a good indicator of the excellence of American arts. The president having the final approval impacts how history views this class of honorees.

The previous selection process, led by a committee instead of an individual, allows for a diverse opinion to be given instead of a singular opinion. A committee-led selection process reflects the demographics of America better than an individual making unilateral decisions. The President’s ideas of great American culture will be different from many Americans’ idea of greatness, leaving this class of honorees to be discussed in the future with an asterisk.