And Trump said Wednesday he personally approved of each nominee: “I would say I was about 98 percent involved. They all went through me,” he said. “I turned down plenty. I had a couple of wokesters.”

Trump in his first term had chafed at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. He skipped the ceremony repeatedly, with some artists pledging to boycott if he attended.

It was White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Trump said Wednesday, who convinced him to host the honors this year.

“I said I’m the president of the United States. Are you fools asking me to do that?” Trump said from the Kennedy Center.

Despite his original criticism of the performing arts center, Trump on Wednesday said he had always wanted to be one of the honorees.

“Since 1978, the Kennedy Center honors have been among the most prestigious awards in the performing arts. I wanted one, was never able to get one,” he said. “I would have taken it. I waited and waited and waited and I said ‘to hell with it, I’ll become chairman.’ I will give myself an honor. Next year we’ll honor Trump, okay?”

Trump also announced the Kennedy Center will be undergoing renovations under his leadership.

“In a few short months since I became chairman of the board of the Kennedy Center, we’ve completely reversed the decline of this cherished national institution,” he said. “In the coming months we’ll fully renovate the dated — and really the entire infrastructure of the building — and make the Kennedy Center a crown jewel of American arts and culture once again,” Trump said.