NEW YORK (AP) – President Donald Trump’s administration is putting an end to how it started, with exaggerated words of praise for the chief executive.
But now the flattery is mingled with a sense of finality as key figures in the president’s job begin to turn the page and acknowledge his defeat. Trump himself is holding on to the Oval Office, still fighting Election Day results, and barely offering any acknowledgment of the death and suffering Americans endure in the darkest hours of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a week in which the Electoral College secured President-elect Joe Biden’s official victory, Trump stayed out of sight, stayed late in the Oval Office, and worked on the remote control of the telephones and television in his private dining area, just steps away away from the Resolute Desk.
Although he did not appear in public once, some of those who were his most influential allies and loyal defenders gave up the fight and deserted the president as gently as possible.
Attorney General William Barr offered his resignation on Monday after weeks of tension with Trump led to an early departure from his post. Long regarded as one of Trump’s most supportive cabinet members, Barr had in recent weeks and months aroused Trump’s wrath for not supporting the president’s baseless allegations of electoral fraud or for not publicly investigating Biden’s son Hunter.
But when Barr stepped aside, he did so in floral language reminiscent of the compliments thrown at Trump as verbal bouquets during early cabinet meetings.
“Your track record is all the more historic because you achieved it despite relentless, unrelenting resistance,” Barr wrote in his letter of resignation. Trump promptly tweeted it, adding his own words of praise for the Attorney General.
In the six weeks since his defeat to Biden, Trump has increasingly been disconnected 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 said little about the deaths or the development of the vaccine that could end the pandemic.
At the same time, he has ruthlessly tweeted conspiracy theories and false allegations about the election, falsely insisting that it was stolen from him while taking steps to undermine the Biden government before it begins. Most Republicans went along and refused to push Trump to stop or cooperate with the president-elect.
Many in the GOP took their directions from Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, who refused to stand up to Trump, instead calculating that an outraged Republican base – and an angry president – could help win in a few runoff races. January in Georgia that will dictate Senate control. But over the past week, even McConnell, R-Ky., Bent over the reality and declared that the Electoral College “had spoken” and that Biden was the winner.
McConnell’s admission that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had won came only after a lengthy public recap of Trump’s performance on the Senate floor. McConnell spoke about Trump for nine minutes, stating that “many of us hoped the presidential election would produce a different outcome.” He discussed Biden for a minute.
Some more of Trump’s fiercest allies also seemed, if briefly, to believe in the election results. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a cable TV appearance that Trump is in a strong position for a possible 2024 campaign – a cumbersome admission that he won’t be president next year.
Others close to Trump also marked the approaching end. His daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump began tweeting photos of Moments over the term. His son Eric Trump and his family posed for photos just outside the Oval Office. West Wing executives posted photos on Instagram of Christmas parties at the White House, and most of the individuals depicted were not wearing masks.
Vice President Mike Pence continued his role as Trump’s hype man even as cheerleading came with a hint of nostalgia. Pence at a ceremony Friday marked the first anniversary of the US Space Force, which he considered an important part of Trump’s legacy.
But now that Trump was largely in hiding, it was up to Pence to hold a public meeting with those who distributed the vaccine. And on Friday, he was the one who rolled up his sleeves and publicly shot him in the arm as part of a campaign to convince Americans that the vaccine is safe.
Trump has been happy to bask in praise during his presidency. His cabinet meetings at times resembled “Best Leader” sessions in authoritarian countries where officials pour out praise for the man in charge.
The tone was set at the president’s first cabinet meeting, in June 2017, when the only topic of discussion turned out to be whether Trump was a great or the best president. With the media invited to watch, Trump praised the achievements of his fledgling administration, claiming he had accomplished more than any president in his first six months – with “a few exceptions,” such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Pence stated that day that his job was ‘the greatest privilege of my life’. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he was “excited,” energy secretary Rick Perry gave his “hats” to Trump, and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross thanked “for the opportunity” to work 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 blessing you have given us in serving your agenda.”
On Wednesday, Trump called his 25th and perhaps last cabinet meeting. Much had changed.
Several top officials were absent, including Barr, whose resignation was pending; Acting Home Secretary David Bernhardt, who had tested positive for COVID-19; and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was quarantined for having been exposed to someone with the virus.
Whether Trump was lavishly praised remains unknown.
The president did not let the media in.
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