From time to time, Donald Trump meets with his closest advisers at the White House, smiling as they lick his shoes until they shine like a mirror. These cabinet meetings are televised, where the president’s greatness is extolled, and his appointees take turns praising him unashamedly. Attorney General Pam Bondi even went so far as to congratulate Trump for saving the lives of 75% of the American population during a cabinet meeting last April.
Trump held another cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The table was no exception, filled with his supporters who warmly congratulated him for saving the United States from the brink of destruction. The spectacle lasted more than three hours, as Trump fielded questions from the media. The adulation clearly hurt his ego. “I have the right to do what I want,” he said of sending federal troops into cities. “I am the president of the United States.” »
Here are some of the most egregious examples from Tuesday’s roundtable where the Trump administration’s hypocrites praised their leader:
Tulsi Gabbard: Director of National Intelligence
“This is a great opportunity to recognize your leadership as a true champion of workers’ rights. … I know that as we discuss our discussions, we will see that your absolute commitment to the well-being and interests of the American people is the common thread we see in the implementation of your policies throughout your administration.”
Gabbard spent much of the summer trying to shift public attention away from the administration’s failure to address the Jeffrey Epstein case and toward conspiracy theories about former President Barack Obama and the 2016 election. Trump singled her out for praise, praising her for “growing more and more popular every day” within his administration.
Laurie Chavez-Dermer: Secretary of Labor
“Mr. President, I invite you to admire your beautiful face on a banner in front of the Department of Labor. You are the transformative president of American workers, just like the American flag and President Roosevelt… I was deeply honored to unveil it yesterday.”
Secretary of State Lori Chavez-Dermer pointed to a banner bearing Trump’s image hanging on the facade of her department, as well as a similar banner bearing the image of former President Theodore Roosevelt. Both banners bore the slogan “American Workers First.”
Steve Witkoff: Special Envoy to the Middle East
“I wish only one thing: that the Nobel Committee reorganize its work and recognize that you are the best candidate since the Nobel Prize was first discussed. Beyond your success, this prize is transforming the world today, and I hope everyone will one day recognize that.”
Witkoff, who was not officially a Cabinet member but was invited to the ceremony, then told the president that “working with this administration—with you—is the greatest honor of my life,” and congratulated Trump for allegedly ending “more than seven” international conflicts in the past eight months, although the nature of those conflicts was not specified.
Kristi Noem: Secretary of Homeland Security
“First of all, thank you for the opportunity to work with you. You’ve made this country safe. You’ve opened the economy. You’re upholding the law. Now everyone can wake up, provide for their families, and go to work every day with confidence.”
Noem has repeatedly praised Trump for what he presents as a radical transformation of the American economy toward unlimited prosperity and security, not to mention the president’s recent firing of the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics for reporting stagnant economic growth and employment in its monthly report.
Brooke Rollins: Secretary of Agriculture
“By the way, thank you for saving college football. We really appreciate it.”
Was college football in such dire straits that it needed a bailout? No. Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order requiring universities to maintain and expand scholarships for women and Olympians at the collegiate level, as well as to reform the pay-for-play system in college sports.
Scott Bessent: Secretary of the Treasury
“As we’ve said many times, economic security is essential to national security, and our country has never been safer than you. You saved us from collapse. You received an overwhelming mandate from the American people. You are restoring faith in government.”
Bessent said that one of Trump’s main ways of restoring faith in government is by attempting to take control of the historically independent Federal Reserve. The president had attempted to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook, a completely illegal and legally groundless action. Ms. Cook’s lawyer said Tuesday that she would not leave office and would file a lawsuit over the matter.
Marco Rubio: Secretary of State
“You were elected president for hard-working Americans, and that’s why this Labor Day is so important—and that’s why it’s the most important Labor Day of my lifetime, as a four-jobber.”
Since taking office in January, Trump has dismantled the government, appointing loyalists to key positions. That’s why Rubio is not only secretary of state, but also director of the National Archives, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Trump’s national security adviser. On Tuesday, Rubio praised Trump’s leadership, calling him a “master peacemaker.”