Rubio Tops Cabinet Meetings in Flattery, Vance in Insults

President Trump's Cabinet meetings often double as televised showcases of praise for the president and attacks on his rivals, a New York Times review finds. The footage shows that one member stands out among the equals: Secretary of State Marco Rubio did the most talking overall in Cabinet meetings and praised the president more than anyone else did. A regular refrain is that Trump has done something wonderful as only he could:

• "There's only one leader in the world that's capable of bringing the two sides to a table, and that's our president, the president of the United States, President Trump."
• "You're the only leader in the planet that can bring the two sides together."
• "No other leader in the world could have pulled off what happened."

The Times analyzed more than 12 hours of footage and concluded that about one in every six sentences from Cabinet officials either commended Trump personally, credited him for policy outcomes, or targeted his political opponents. The meetings, which can run up to three hours, give the secretaries a chance to spotlight their departments while tying successes to Trump; the Times notes that many of these statements are exaggerated or misleading. A White House spokeswoman emailed in response that the sessions are used to emphasize accomplishments for the American public. Others speakers, notably Vice President JD Vance, focused more on criticizing Democrats—Vance averaged roughly one insult per six sentences. The full Times report, which includes a breakdown per Cabinet member, can be found here.