Members of US President Donald Trump's cabinet spend a noticeable amount of time praising, admiring and supporting Trump in his feelings towards his opponents, according to an analysis by the New York Times, cited by the Independent.
The analysis was based on cabinet meetings, and it seems that on average one in six statements from the members is some kind of flattery towards Trump. This ranges from direct compliments and giving credit to Trump to denigrating his enemies.
According to the analysis, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who speaks most often during cabinet meetings, is the number one flatterer of the president. He is considered, along with Vice President J.D. Vance, as a possible successor to Trump.
Rubio credits Trump with helping to end numerous world conflicts, a claim he himself consistently repeats.
Meanwhile, Vice President J.D. Vance is a leading critic of Donald Trump's opponents, with one in six sentences being an insult to them.
Cabinet meetings are traditionally held behind closed doors to discuss sensitive issues. But Trump has allowed the media into the room to give cabinet members a chance to explain what they are doing and answer questions from reporters.
The roundtable, which lasts for hours, is usually filled with positive comments about the administration and negative comments about the US president's opponents.
Cabinet members appear to use the meetings to demonstrate their loyalty to Trump.
During a cabinet meeting on January 29, 2026, Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler credited Trump for helping Americans affected by natural disasters, criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom and former President Joe Biden, repeated Trump's claim that he has ended eight wars, and insisted that Americans have lined up to thank Trump.
At a cabinet meeting in December 2025, the administrator Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin told the president that his team was "doing great" and insisted that the president was "willing to take a bullet for this country."
Many cabinet members credit Trump's leadership for the achievements of their respective departments or agencies, often using the phrase "under your leadership" during praise.
On April 30 of last year, former Attorney General Pam Bondi caused a stir by claiming that Trump had saved the lives of 258 million Americans - about 75% of the United States population - after law enforcement seized about 22 million fentanyl pills.
In December 2025, another former cabinet member, former Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem, addressed Trump with the words: "Sir, you went through hurricane season without a hurricane. You kept the hurricanes at bay.
According to the analysis, Rubio has often argued that Donald Trump deserves more credit for his foreign policy agenda and that no other leader could have intervened in conflicts to achieve peace.
After Trump appeared to have ended eight wars, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant insisted that Trump's decision to bomb Iran would have a positive long-term outcome for the American economy and criticized Democrats for underestimating the president during a cabinet meeting on March 26, 2026.
And others: During a cabinet meeting on April 30, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett blamed Biden for the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed Biden for adding infrastructure overhead, Housing and Urban Development Director Scott Turner accused Biden of prioritizing immigrants over Americans, and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vote accused Biden of raising prices for families and others.