Life in Trump’s Cabinet: Putdowns, perks, and power
WASHINGTON — Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross came in for an Oval Office tongue-lashing after he used a mundane soup can as a TV prop. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis got overruled by President Donald Trump’s announcement that a new “Space Force” is in the offing. Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt finally bailed out this week, three months after his steady stream of highly publicized ethics problems brought a sharp admonition from image-conscious Trump to “knock it off.”
Welcome to the Trump Cabinet, where broad opportunities to reshape the government and advance a conservative agenda come with everyday doses of presidential adulation, humiliation, perks and pestering. Sometimes all at roughly the same time.
Pruitt’s downfall — he told Trump he didn’t want to be a distraction from the president’s agenda — was only the latest evidence of how brutal the Cabinet environment can be, even if the EPA chief’s troubles were largely of his own making. A senior administration official not authorized to discuss the situation publicly later suggested that Pruitt had been pushed by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly to tender his resignation Thursday amid the mounting scandals.
“He’s going to have a wonderful life,” Trump predicted after Pruitt resigned on Thursday. And then the president quickly pivoted to praising the “fantastic” new guy sliding into the empty seat.