Key Takeaways
- President Donald Trump’s White House Cabinet meeting lasted over two hours, with the president struggling to stay alert at times.
- Trump declared that he didn’t want Somalis in the U.S. and defended a follow-up strike on an alleged drug-carrying boat in the Caribbean Sea.
- The meeting featured lengthy presentations from Cabinet members, despite Trump’s initial call to "go quickly."
- The president’s comments on Somalis drew applause from his Cabinet, but were widely criticized.
- The meeting ended with a newsy Q&A session, during which Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed various topics, including the strike on the boat and Trump’s views on Somali immigrants.
Introduction to the Cabinet Meeting
The White House Cabinet meeting, which took place on a Tuesday, was a lengthy gathering that lasted over two hours. President Donald Trump’s eyes fluttered and closed at times, and his budget director, Russell Vought, was spotted doodling a fluffy cloud on White House letterhead. The meeting began with Trump’s opening comments, which largely rehashed his previous policy announcements from recent months. He also repeated old grievances, including his falsehoods about having won the 2020 election. Despite Trump’s call to "go quickly," the meeting featured lengthy presentations from various Cabinet members.
The Meeting’s Tone and Content
The tone of the meeting was often sleepy and occasionally slipshod, with Trump’s apparent sleepiness following his criticism of a recent New York Times story examining his schedule and stamina at age 79. Trump slammed the Times story early in the meeting and even slipped into the third person to assure all involved that "Trump is sharp." The meeting’s content was varied, with Cabinet members discussing topics such as affordability, economic pressures on farmers, and the administration’s efforts to reduce prices nationwide. However, some Cabinet members defied the president’s messaging on affordability, with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner all discussing the need to address rising costs.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Comments
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was one of the first speakers at the meeting, and he praised the Trump administration’s move to rename his agency the Department of War. However, the nameplate in front of Hegseth labeled him the "ssecretary of war," including a mistaken double "S" that quickly became the source of online ridicule. Hegseth also cited the "fog of war" in defending a follow-up strike on an alleged drug-carrying boat in the Caribbean Sea in September. He said that he did not see any survivors in the water when the second strike was ordered and launched, and that "the thing was on fire." Hegseth’s comments were widely reported, and he faced criticism for his role in the strike.
Trump’s Comments on Somali Immigrants
One of the most notable moments of the meeting came when Trump declared that he didn’t want Somali immigrants in the U.S. He said that residents of the war-ravaged eastern African country should stay there and try to fix their homeland, and accused Somalis of being too reliant on U.S. aid programs while offering little to the nation in return. Trump’s comments drew applause from his Cabinet, but were widely criticized by others. The comments were seen as a reflection of Trump’s hardline stance on immigration, and were likely to be controversial.
Conclusion of the Meeting
The meeting ended with a newsy Q&A session, during which Trump and Hegseth addressed various topics, including the strike on the boat and Trump’s views on Somali immigrants. The president took questions from reporters, but only after jokingly asking, "After that, do you WANT to ask any questions?" He also pointed at a journalist holding a boom mic and playfully offered, "How strong are you?" The meeting concluded with Trump slapping his hand twice on the table, pushing his chair back, standing up, and thumping Hegseth on the shoulder. The meeting was a lengthy and often sleepy gathering, but it featured several notable moments and comments from the president and his Cabinet members.