Today, President Trump reached a new level of narcissism when the White House sent out an official press release containing only praise from individuals that Trump can fire. (Below)
The release, headlined “What they are saying: Praise from the president’s cabinet for the new immigration priorities” would be more accurately named “what we are saying,” or “what we have been told to say,” or even “what we have agreed to let the communications staff put our names on.”
Had this bizarre event happened in a vacuum, one might think that, in the absence of any outside party showing willingness to praise Trump, the White House simply contrived its own statements and hoped no one notice that the alleged praisers could be fired for refusing to go along with it.
With Trump however, there is something more at play. The unprecedentedly congratulatory release comes a few months after Trump made his cabinet take turns saying nice things about him on national television:
Too funny. Al Franken can't even keep a straight face about Trump's cabinet members saying how "blessed" they are to serve this president: pic.twitter.com/kbml79URDP
— Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) June 12, 2017
The truth is that Trump’s petty narcissism has become so dominating a force in the White House’s inner workings that the entire apparatus is willing to degrade itself with regularity in order to keep the president’s mood cheery.
The release also comes in the wake of “moron gate” in which Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was revealed to have called Trump a “f—ing moron” behind his back — revelations which we now know have consumed the president.
The release is below, but the contents themselves deserve about as much credibility as a hostage’s praise for his captors, taped at gunpoint.
The cabinet serves at the pleasure of the president, and now we know exactly how they pleasure President Trump. They stroke his ego until it culminates in an official release.
Did the White House really put out a statement touting praise from the president's own cabinet? The employees praise the boss! pic.twitter.com/iCReC0WmJA
— Ginger Gibson (@GingerGibson) October 9, 2017