Trump called a cabinet meeting after walking back his tariff plans. It might as well have been held in Moscow

Donald Trump has made no secret of his affinity for Russian president Vladimir Putin’s leadership style, and he got to experience it first-hand Thursday in a cabinet meeting that has been described as “Kremlin-esque.”

Just a day after President Trump backtracked on a disastrous tariff policy that sent global markets into turmoil, cabinet members lined up to massage the president’s ego with sycophantic language that would make North Korean newsreaders blush.

“I think that what you have assembled in your vision is a turning point and an inflection point in American history. And so just being a part of that is the greatest honor,” Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, said, after calling the president “family.”

Kelly Loeffler, head of the Small Business Administration, had little to say about the many small businesses about to be made bankrupt by Trump’s tariff chaos.

“Mr. President, on behalf of America’s manufacturers, I want to thank you for standing up to the Chinese communist party and fighting for our main streets, for our workers … Main Street is grateful for you,” she said.

Trump sat stony-faced through each tribute, occasionally offering commentary when they were done.

It was unclear if a memo had been sent around or if Trump’s cabinet members are just beginning to understand what was required of them, but each followed suit and sprinkled their contributions with gratitude for his leadership.

Elon Musk thanked Trump for his “fantastic leadership.” Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, thanked him for his “leadership at the border.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi told the president his favorite fairy tale about the election and sought to rewrite the Constitution on the fly, implying that he should have control of the U.S. government’s budget, rather than Congress.

“You were overwhelmingly elected by the biggest majority,” she said, repeating a lie that the president has often told. “The Americans want you to be president because of your agenda, and the courts are ruling that you have the authority to determine how the money of this country will be spent. That’s what the American citizens wanted, and that’s what they’re getting,” she said.

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick was keen to make the president feel better about his capitulation on tariffs on Wednesday by assuring him that many as-yet unnamed nations are trying to negotiate new trade deals with the United States.

“They have come with offers that they never, ever, ever would have come with but for the moves that the President has made, demanding that people treat the United States with respect. We’re getting the respect we deserve now,” he said.

Halfway through the meeting, a pedestrian joke from the president prompted a burst of laughter from everyone that seemed to shake the table.

After Trump’s cabinet had finished giving their updates, Trump spoke at length in response to questions from a White House pool that had been carefully selected and bolstered by friendly outlets, as it is in Moscow.

He described the rebound from his self-induced downturn as “the biggest day in history” and warned there would be “transition difficulty.”

The president appeared eager to move on from his attempt to impose tighter government control over the economy, and with it isolation from the global market, perhaps looking forward to a giant military parade that is rumored to be in the works for this summer – all to celebrate his birthday.

Sound familiar?