Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Aug 31: US President Donald Trump’s latest Cabinet meeting turned into what many described as a marathon ‘praise fest,’ with members lavishing over-the-top compliments on him rather than focusing on governance.
The three-hour-long session, held earlier this week, was marked by repeated flattery from Trump’s top officials. Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki criticised the meeting as “sycophantic,” remarking that the level of praise “would make North Korean leaders like Kim Jong Un or Russian President Vladimir Putin blush.” She added that “almost no real business of any kind was actually discussed,” warning that Trump has surrounded himself with people “who already treat him like a dictator.”
During the meeting, Labour Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer invited Trump to visit her agency to admire his “big, beautiful face on a banner in front of the Department of Labour.” Energy Secretary Chris Wright credited Trump with reviving the American dream, declaring, “Your tireless campaign and relentless messaging made people realise the American dream isn’t dead. It’s just been smothered, and we’re unsmothering it and setting it loose.”
Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. claimed Trump is “going to save the whales on the East Coast,” a comment linked to the administration’s review of offshore wind farms—despite scientists at NOAA stating there is “no scientific evidence” connecting such projects to whale deaths.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins went further, comparing Trump’s leadership to a historic revolution. “1776 was the first one. 1863, with Abraham Lincoln, was the second. This is the third, with Donald Trump leading the way,” she said, also thanking him for “saving college football.”
Adding to the chorus, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff suggested that the Nobel Committee should recognise Trump as the “single finest candidate” for the award.
The display of loyalty, however, has sparked sharp criticism across US political circles, with many questioning whether governance is being sidelined in favour of personality worship.