At Trump’s marathon Cabinet meeting the show must go on... and on

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump is famed as a political showman – and during a record-breaking 3hr 16min Cabinet meeting, the show went on, and on, and on.

The extraordinary performance on Aug 26 was the 79-year-old Republican’s longest-ever televised press event, the White House and US media said.

The former reality TV star freewheeled through his favourite topics during the marathon session, before his top officials seated around the huge wooden table took turns to praise the “greatest president” in history.

“This has never been done before,” a beaming Mr Trump said as the meeting finally wrapped up.

“There’s something really nice about the openness of what we’re doing – it’s an open government, that’s what we are.”

But while the White House likes to boast about Mr Trump being the “most transparent” president in history, access does not always equate to openness.

And as Mr Trump had taken part in three separate Oval Office events on Aug 25 lasting nearly three hours, some wondered what more he could have to say a day later.

The frenetic pace of Mr Trump’s first months back in power has partly eased.

Peace efforts in Ukraine and Gaza have largely stalled, key trade deals to avoid tariffs have been sealed, and breaking news has been in shorter supply.

But Mr Trump is rarely at a loss for words.

‘Greatest president’

After the press were admitted to the White House Cabinet Room at 12.11pm local time (12.11am Singapore time on Aug 27), he gave a 45min opening monologue, including a brief interlude when he asked a reporter to give her account of being mugged in Washington, where he has launched a crime crackdown.

Many of Mr Trump’s comments appeared designed to push the buttons of opponents who accuse him of authoritarianism and unpresidential behaviour.

He said he would

ask for the death penalty in murder cases

within the US capital, and talked about Americans possibly wanting a “dictator” who could cut crime – but insisted he was not one.

When mentioning Attorney-General Pam Bondi, Mr Trump said: “I would never say she’s beautiful because that would be the end of my political career.”

Mr Trump in 2023 was ordered by a New York jury to pay US$5 million (S$6.43 million) for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.

Other comments seemed likely to keep foreign diplomats busy figuring out the mercurial leader of the world’s top superpower.

Asked about the Russian Foreign Minister questioning the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in peace talks, Mr Trump declared that “everybody’s posturing. It’s all bullshit”.

Yet in the same breath he said that Mr Zelensky, whose

country was invaded by Russia

in 2022, was “not exactly innocent”.

Then it was the turn of the assembled Cabinet members to outdo themselves by flattering Mr Trump.

Everyone got a turn.

“This is the greatest Cabinet working for the greatest president,” said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, seated to Mr Trump’s left. “I’m having the time of my life working for you, Mr President.”

Mr Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and the Middle East, won a round of applause after he said his “only one wish” was for his boss to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

‘Getting tired?’

As the test of stamina neared the 2½-hour mark, Mr Trump finally opened the meeting to questions – after briefly sympathising with broadcast reporters who had spent the whole time holding long boom microphones over the table.

“Are you getting tired?” Mr Trump asked.

It was then left to one reporter to break it to the headline-loving President that his mammoth press conference had been trumped by the announcement of

Taylor Swift’s engagement

to American football star Travis Kelce.

“I wish them a lot of luck,” Mr Trump replied, despite his earlier criticism of Swift over her support for his 2024 election rival Kamala Harris.

Finally, at 3.27pm, Mr Trump ushered out the press.

NBC and the RollCall Factbase said it was Mr Trump’s longest on-camera event, with the latter timing it at three hours, 16 minutes and 41 seconds.

Factbase added that it was “longer than Titanic: both the movie (3hr 15min) and the sinking (2hr 40min)”. AFP