President Donald Trump’s Cabinet turned a routine meeting into a public display of admiration on Tuesday, Dec. 2, offering effusive praise as the president sat at the head of the table, often appearing to close his eyes as they spoke.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem credited Trump with everything from faster disaster response to seemingly favorable weather. She told him that the administration made it through hurricane season without a major storm hitting the U.S., adding that federal emergency teams are now deploying “far faster than before” and assuring him that, in moments of crisis, “you are immediately there helping.” Noem went on to call it “an honor” to work for him, saying the battles he chooses are “the right fights” and thanking him for giving his team “a purpose” every day.
Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin followed with his own remarks, telling Trump that the president was so committed to the public that he would be willing to “take a bullet” for Americans watching at home and saying he was personally grateful for Trump’s leadership this holiday season.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick joined the chorus, praising both Trump and the team gathered around him. He described the group as “the greatest Cabinet ever for the greatest president ever,” and said it was “a joy” to be seated at the table.
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Though he at times looked fatigued, Trump used part of the session to once again defend his mental sharpness when speaking to the press in the room. Pointing to the sheer volume of his media engagements, he said he regularly holds multiple press conferences in a day and fields questions from reporters he jokingly referred to as “very intelligent lunatics.” He insisted that he consistently gives correct answers, claiming there is “never a scandal” and “never a problem” with his responses.
As the meeting went on, Trump shifted to one of his familiar targets: Somali immigrants living in Minnesota. He disparaged Somalia itself and painted Somali refugees and their descendants in overwhelmingly negative terms, declaring that they “contribute nothing” and saying he does not want them in the United States. He singled out Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar, labeling Omar and her allies as “garbage.” His remarks drew applause from the Cabinet officials seated around him, after which he abruptly brought the meeting to a close.
The made-for-TV Cabinet sessions have become a notable hallmark of Trump’s second term, stretching for hours and often blending policy talk with pointed attacks on opponents and lavish praise of the president by his own appointees. This week, Politico’s Playbook podcast described the gatherings as “the weirdest show in Washington,” questioning their purpose and noting that few other democracies stage such public tributes to a head of government. The hosts wondered how many viewers are actually sitting through a three-hour Cabinet meeting broadcast live.
Observers have noted that these choreographed events stand out even in a city already famous for long, meandering meetings filled with self-congratulation, with Trump’s Cabinet sessions seen as particularly unusual displays of loyalty.
Trump’s seemingly low energy during Tuesday’s meeting came after a marathon posting spree on his Truth Social platform the night before. From around 7 p.m. ET until nearly midnight on Monday, he shared and reposted more than 160 items, ranging from attacks on former President Joe Biden, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly to enthusiastic promotion of the MAGA movement and accolades for his wife, first lady Melania Trump.
He was back online early the next morning, resuming his posts shortly before 6 a.m. and declaring, “TRUTH SOCIAL IS THE BEST! There is nothing even close!!!”
