NEW YORK – President Donald Trump’s administration is ending as it began, with statements of praise to the chief executive.
But now the flattery is mixed with a sense of purpose, as key people in the president’s orbit begin to turn the page and acknowledge his defeat. Trump himself remains in the oval office, still struggling with election day results and offering little recognition of the death and suffering Americans suffer in the darkest hours of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a week in which the Electoral College made the victory of President-elect Joe Biden official, Trump remained out of sight, staying late in the oval office and working telephones and remote control television in its private dining area just steps from the Resolute Desk.
While he made no public appearance, some of his most influential allies and loyal supporters resigned from the fight, leaving the president down as gently as possible.
Attorney General William Barr resigned last Monday after weeks of tensions with Trump led to an early departure from office. Seen for a long time as one of Trump’s most supportive members of the Cabinet, Barr in recent weeks and months had attracted Trump’s anger for not supporting the president’s unfounded allegations of election fraud or for failing to carry out publicly an investigation into Biden’s son, Hunter.
But when Barr stepped aside, he did so in flowery language reminiscent of the praises that were thrown as verbal bouquets at Trump during the first cabinet meetings.
“Your history is even more historic because you have achieved it in the face of relentless relentless resistance,” Barr wrote in his resignation letter. Trump quickly posted it and added his own words of praise to the attorney general.
In the six weeks since his defeat against Biden, Trump has increasingly disassociated himself from his job. The virus has killed more than 300,000 Americans and now claims more than 3,000 lives a day, but the president has barely offered a word on deaths or the development of the vaccine that could end the pandemic.
At the same time, he has relentlessly tweeted conspiracy theories and false claims about the election, incorrectly insisting that he was robbed while taking steps to undermine the Biden administration before it began. Most Republicans refused to push Trump to stop or work with the president-elect.
Many in the Republican Party took their directions from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who refused to stand up to Trump and calculated that an outraged Republican base and an angry president could help produce victories in a pair of second lap races in Georgia. which will dictate control of the Senate. But last week, even McConnell, R-Ky., Leaned toward reality, declaring that the Electoral College “had spoken” and that Biden was the winner.
McConnell’s recognition that Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris had won only came after a lengthy public recap of Trump’s successes in the Senate floor. McConnell spoke of Trump for nine minutes and stated that “many of us expected the presidential election to give a different result.” He talked about Biden for a minute.
Some of Trump’s fiercest allies also seemed to give credibility, albeit briefly, to the election result. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a cable television appearance that Trump was in a good position for a possible 2024 campaign: a rotating recognition that he will not be president next year.
Others close to Trump also marked the impending end. Her daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump began tweeting photos of moments throughout her tenure. His son Eric Trump and his family posed for photographs on the outskirts of the oval office. Western wing staff posted photos on Instagram of the White House Christmas festivities and most people who were not wearing masks.
Vice President Mike Pence continued his role as Trump’s greatest man, even when the cheerleaders came in with a smell of nostalgia. Pence at a ceremony on Friday marked the first anniversary of the U.S. Space Force, which he framed as an important part of Trump’s legacy.
But with Trump largely hidden, it fell into Pence’s hands to do a public show of reunion with vaccine distributors. And on Friday it was he who rolled up his sleeves and fired a public shot in the arm as part of a campaign to convince Americans that the vaccine is safe.
Trump has been happy with praise throughout his presidency. At times, their meetings of the Council of Ministers resembled “Dear Leader” sessions in authoritarian nations where officials praised the incumbent.
The tone was set at the first meeting of the President’s Cabinet in June 2017, when the only topic under debate was whether Trump was a great president or the greatest. With the media invited to watch, Trump praised the successes of his young administration, saying he had achieved more than any president in his first six months, with “few exceptions,” such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt. .
Pence declared that day that his job was “the greatest privilege of my life.” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he was “delighted,” Energy Secretary Rick Perry handed his “hats” to Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross thanked “for the opportunity.” of working for the president.
Perhaps the strongest words came from Chief of Staff Reince Priebus: “On behalf of all the senior staff around you, Mr President, we thank you for the opportunity and the blessing you have given us to serve your agenda.”
On Wednesday, Trump convened his 25th and perhaps last Cabinet meeting. Much had changed.
Several senior officials were not present, including Barr, whose resignation was pending; the acting Secretary of the Interior, David Bernhardt, who had tested positive for COVID-19; and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was in his forties because he had been exposed to someone with the virus.
It is unknown if there was any effusive praise for Trump.
The president did not let the media in.
———
Follow Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire