Political observers around the world have ridiculed President Donald Trump’s latest fawning Cabinet meeting, describing the sycophantic display as a carnival of “butt-snorkeling” and “boot-licking”.
After a three-hour-plus spectacle on Tuesday in which Trump’s loyal team credited him with everything from saving whales to reviving Christianity, social media lit up with people likening the bizarre display to authoritarian states.
“Coming soon to Broadway: “Dear Leader: The Musical,” said Zhai Xiang, a scholar on China-US Relations.
“This is all insane. Absolutely mad. America as North Korea, as Stalin’s USSR, as a pantomime dictatorship,” wrote Ian Garner, an author and professor at the Pilecki Institute.
“In the Army we called this “Butt-snorkeling,” said former US commander general Ben Hodges.
Tuesday’s meeting was the longest on-camera appearance of Trump’s second term, and comes as the president continues to assert his dominance on everything from crime in the nation’s capital to America’s cultural institutions, media and judiciary.
In the Army we called this “Butt-snorkeling”…. https://t.co/NlHZQP4Zb1
— Ben Hodges (@general_ben) August 26, 2025
But while it’s not uncommon for members of the administration to flatter the president, this week’s roundtable was arguably more gushing than any other cabinet meeting so far.
Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr credited Trump for saving whales through his anti-windmill stance.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick described the administration as “the greatest Cabinet working for the greatest president.”
Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins thanked Trump “for saving college football,” while Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told Trump he was the “single finest candidate” to ever seek the Nobel Peace Prize.
“Your success is game changing out in the world today, and I hope everybody wakes up one day and realizes that,” he said as the room applauded.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, whose relationship with Trump was tested earlier this year over past comments on Iran, also weighed in by repeating claims about the so-called Russia “hoax” by former Obama officials.
“We are finding documents literally tucked away in the back of safes in random offices, in bags, and other areas, which speaks to the intent of those trying to hide the truth to the American people, led by those like John Brennan and James Clapper,” she told the president, who praised her for her work.
British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan accused the former Democratic Congresswoman of selling out.
“Gabbard spent much of her time as a Democrat attacking Obama and Biden, but now fawns over Trump. The things people do for power,” he said.
The most gushing contribution on Tuesday, however, came from Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, whose department now displays a giant banner of Trump’s face.
The banner, which is based on Trump’s second inaugural portrait and contains the words “American Workers First” drapes over three stories of the building in downtown D.C., alongside a portrait of former Republican president Theodore Roosevelt.
“If you all haven’t stopped by the Department of Labor, Mr. President, I invite you to see your big, beautiful face on a banner in front of the Department of Labor, because you are really the transformational president of the American worker,” said Chavez-DeRemer, a former Congresswoman for Oregon.
Social media didn’t hold back.
“After three hours of bootlicking, smoke blowing, and some heartfelt cultic worship at Trump’s cabinet meeting, Proverbs 29:12 comes to mind: ‘If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked’,” wrote one user.
“It’s like a competition of ass kissers,” said another.
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