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Trump Boasts of ‘Record-Setting’ Pace of Activity Trump’s Cabinet, With a Prod, Extols the ‘Blessing’ of Serving Him
(about 5 hours later)
WASHINGTON — President Trump declared on Monday that he had led a “record-setting” pace of activity and been one of the most productive presidents in American history. WASHINGTON — One by one, they praised President Trump, taking turns complimenting his integrity, his message, his strength, his policies. Their leader sat smiling, nodding his approval.
He made the remarks at a highly unusual cabinet meeting in which he sought to deflect attention from his faltering agenda and the accusations leveled against him by his former F.B.I. director by basking in the adulation of senior members of the government. “The greatest privilege of my life is to serve as vice president to the president who’s keeping his word to the American people,” said Mike Pence, starting things off.
Days after James B. Comey charged that Mr. Trump had lied and inappropriately sought to influence an F.B.I. investigation into his campaign’s possible ties with Russia, the president said the country was “seeing amazing results” from his leadership. He also promised to hold a news conference within two weeks on combating terrorism, including the Islamic State. “I am privileged to be here — deeply honored — and I want to thank you for your commitment to the American workers,” said Alexander Acosta, the secretary of labor.
“I will say that never has there been a president, with few exceptions — in the case of F.D.R. he had a major Depression to handle — who’s passed more legislation, who’s done more things than what we’ve done,” Mr. Trump told a cabinet meeting as reporters looked on. “We’ve been about as active as you can possibly be and at a just about record-setting pace.” Sonny Perdue, the agriculture secretary, had just returned from Mississippi and had a message to deliver. “They love you there,” he offered, grinning across the antique table at Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump has yet to sign any major legislation since taking office. His effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act was delayed after a failed first attempt, and his administration is months away from unveiling either a major tax cut package or the sweeping infrastructure plan he has promised. Reince Priebus, the chief of staff whose job insecurity has been the subject of endless speculation, outdid them all, telling the president — and the assembled news cameras — “We thank you for the opportunity and the blessing to serve your agenda.”
After his introductory remarks on Monday, the president went around the table asking for a statement from each cabinet member. One by one, they said their names and paid tribute to Mr. Trump, describing how honored they were to serve in his administration as he nodded approvingly. So it went on Monday in the Cabinet Room of the White House, as Mr. Trump transformed a routine meeting of senior members of his government into a mood-boosting, ego-stroking display of support for himself and his agenda. While the president never explicitly asked to be praised, Mr. Pence set the worshipful tone, and Mr. Trump made it clear he liked what he heard.
“Thank you, Mick,” he told Mick Mulvaney, his budget director. “Good job,” he told Scott Pruitt, his E.P.A. chief. “Very good, Daniel,” he said to Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence.
The commander in chief, who has been known for decades as a fan of flattery and who speaks of himself in superlatives, even indulged in a bit of self-congratulation. He declared himself one of the most productive presidents in American history — perhaps Franklin D. Roosevelt could come close, he conceded — and proclaimed that he had led a “record-setting pace” of accomplishment.
Never mind that Mr. Trump has yet to sign any major legislation, or that his White House has been buffeted by legal and ethical questions surrounding the investigation into his campaign’s possible links to Russia and his firing of the F.B.I. director who had been leading that inquiry.
The highly unusual spectacle before the cabinet meeting got down to business and the TV cameras were banished seemed designed to deflect attention from the president’s faltering agenda and the accusations leveled against him last week by the fired F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, which are threatening to further overshadow his agenda and haunt his presidency.
Days before, Mr. Comey had charged that Mr. Trump had lied about his firing and inappropriately sought to influence the Russia investigation. On Monday, the president said the country was “seeing amazing results” from his leadership.
“I will say that never has there been a president, with few exceptions — in the case of F.D.R. he had a major Depression to handle — who’s passed more legislation, who’s done more things than what we’ve done,” Mr. Trump said. “We’ve been about as active as you can possibly be, and at a just about record-setting pace.”
The tableau in the Cabinet Room drew instant derision from critics. And within hours, Democrats had pounced.
“GREAT meeting today with the best staff in the history of the world!!!” Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, said in a posting on Twitter.
In a video posted with the tweet, Mr. Schumer sat at a table with young staff members who, at his prompting, praised his performance on Sunday talk shows and the appearance of his hair. One repeated Mr. Priebus’s quotation word for word, prompting the senator and his aides to erupt into laughter.
Mr. Trump has been struggling with his legislative agenda. His effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act passed the House on a second try, but senators are toiling to put together their own version. And his administration is months away from unveiling either a major tax cut package or the sweeping infrastructure plan he has promised.
The endorsements from the administration’s highest officials may have served as a comforting counterpoint to Mr. Trump’s sinking poll numbers. Fifty-nine percent disapproved of the job he is doing as president, according to a June 11 Gallup tracking survey, with only 36 percent approving.
After his upbeat introductory remarks on Monday, the president went around the table asking for a statement from each cabinet member. One by one, they said their names and — as if working to outdo each other — paid homage to Mr. Trump, describing how honored they were to serve in his administration.
“Thank you for the opportunity to serve at S.B.A.,” said Linda McMahon, the head of the Small Business Administration, touting “a new optimism” for small businesses.“Thank you for the opportunity to serve at S.B.A.,” said Linda McMahon, the head of the Small Business Administration, touting “a new optimism” for small businesses.
Ben Carson, the housing secretary, called it “a great honor” to work for Mr. Trump, while Sonny Perdue, the agriculture secretary, offered congratulations for “the men and women you have gathered around this table.” Ben Carson, the housing secretary, called it “a great honor” to work for Mr. Trump, while Mr. Perdue, the agriculture secretary, offered congratulations for “the men and women you have gathered around this table.”
And amid fresh reports that his job is in danger, Reince Priebus, the chief of staff, outdid them all, telling Mr. Trump — and the assembled news cameras — that “we thank you for the opportunity and the blessing to serve your agenda.” Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, told Mr. Trump, “It was a great honor traveling with you around the country for the last year, and an even greater honor to be here serving on your cabinet.”
The loyalty pledges unfolded the day before Attorney General Jeff Sessions is due to testify before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence about his involvement with Moscow and his role in the firing of Mr. Comey. Mr. Sessions has recused himself from the Russia investigation. A few cabinet members diverged from the apparent script. Jim Mattis, the secretary of defense whose reputation for independence has been a comfort to Mr. Trump’s critics, refrained from personally praising the president, instead aiming his comments at American troops fighting and dying for their country.
The tableau in the White House’s Cabinet Room struck many observers, including former White House officials familiar with the day-to-day workings of the president and the senior officials in his administration, as extraordinary. “Mr. President, it’s an honor to represent the men and women of the Department of Defense, and we are grateful for the sacrifices our people are making in order to strengthen our military so our diplomats always negotiate from a position of strength,” Mr. Mattis said as Mr. Trump sat, stern-faced.
“I ran 16 Cabinet meetings during Obama’s 1st term,” Chris Lu, former President Barack Obama’s Cabinet secretary, wrote on Twitter. “Our Cabinet was never told to sing Obama’s praises. He wanted candid advice not adulation.” But the meeting still struck White House officials of past administrations as odd.
Yet the comments were in keeping with an intense effort by the White House to boost Mr. Trump’s mood and change the subject from the damaging testimony last week of Mr. Comey, who, under oath, accused the president of having fired him for his handling of the Russia inquiry. “I ran 16 Cabinet meetings during Obama’s 1st term,” Chris Lu, former President Barack Obama’s cabinet secretary, wrote on Twitter. “Our Cabinet was never told to sing Obama’s praises. He wanted candid advice not adulation.”
In a television interview on Monday morning, the president’s daughter Ivanka Trump said her father was eager to move on and talk about the rest of his agenda. The show of support for the president was in keeping with an intense effort by the White House to boost Mr. Trump’s mood and change the subject from the damaging testimony last week of Mr. Comey.
“My father felt very vindicated in all the statements that he’s been making, and feels incredibly optimistic,” Ms. Trump, a senior adviser to the president, said on “Fox and Friends.” In a television interview on Monday morning, the president’s daughter Ivanka Trump said her father “felt vindicated” and was eager to move on and talk about the rest of his agenda. Appearing on “Fox and Friends,” she said that “he feels incredibly optimistic.”
Her comments were the latest effort by the White House to discredit and play down the significance of Mr. Comey’s congressional testimony, in which he strongly suggested that the president had tried to obstruct justice in imploring him to drop an investigation into Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser’s contacts with Moscow and requesting the F.B.I. director’s personal loyalty. Reporters who witnessed the cabinet meeting’s prelude tried in vain to ask the president about his comments about Mr. Comey — specifically, whether he has tapes of their conversations, as he has hinted.
Mr. Trump said at a news conference on Friday that Mr. Comey had lied about those conversations, and he asserted that Mr. Comey’s account proved that there had been no collusion between the campaign and Russia, nor any attempt to obstruct an investigation. But Mr. Trump was in no mood to allow such questions to rain on his parade, and he dismissed the news media with a curt, “Thank you.”
Over the weekend, Mr. Trump suggested on Twitter that Mr. Comey’s decision to work through a friend to share with a reporter the contents of contemporaneous memos he kept of his exchanges with the president might have been illegal, and he called the act “cowardly.” “Finally held our first full @Cabinet meeting today,” he tweeted later, along with a video of the meeting-turned-pep rally. “With this great team, we can restore American prosperity and bring real change to D.C.”
Ms. Trump insisted that her father had come away from Mr. Comey’s testimony “incredibly optimistic” and eager to pivot to a discussion of domestic policy initiatives, including infrastructure rebuilding and vocational education, which the White House plans to emphasize this week.
“With all the noise, with all the intensity of the media coverage and obviously what makes headlines, ultimately, we’re really focused on why the American people elected Donald Trump as their president,” Ms. Trump said.