4 days ago
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Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick faced mockery online after delivering what critics thought was a sycophantic tribute to President Donald Trump’s face during a press event announcing a new trade agreement with the United Kingdom.
The billionaire businessman-turned-Cabinet member heaped praise on Trump and sought to make clear the president’s personal role while introducing the deal, which has been widely panned by economists and even some conservatives.
Lutnick: "I want to make this clear. This was the president's deal. People think, 'Oh, that's not the way it works.' If you got to sit next to him -- I have the best dealmaker to my left. And if you don't think that we take advantage of him calling the prime minister and getting… pic.twitter.com/BkfqClUaey
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 8, 2025“I want to make this clear: while JD Vance and others worked hard, this was the president’s deal,” Lutnick gushed. “And if people think, ‘Oh, that’s not the way it works’ — if you got to sit next to him, I have the best dealmaker to my left.”
“If you don’t think that we take advantage of him calling the prime minister and getting that deal done, you don’t understand who’s the president of the United States,” Lutnick continued. “He’s the closer. He gets deals done that we could never get done because he understands business. He understands deals. And that’s why we’re here today.”
Social media users were quick to poke fun at the over-the-top flattery.
Trump makes calls, and somehow that’s considered “closing the deal.”
Real negotiations require strategy, not just bluster and phone calls.
Business deals aren’t won just by being loud or braggadocious. They’re built on substance and diplomacy.
This UK deal is a loss and a…
Has there ever been a bigger group of arse kissers than this current Cabinet?
We had a SURPLUS with the UK... Just wow...
No one kisses Trump’s ass like Lutnick
Literally no shame in his praise towards Trump 🥴
Good lord Lutnick. Are you saying that without Trump you don’t know enough about business to get a deal done with the UK? The ass kissing you guys do just makes you look stupid. Enough already it’s embarrassing for us all to watch.
— Jesse McConnell (@Jesse_Now) May 8, 2025Does this make any other fellow conservatives think this is cringe?
— Bob Ochoa (@ochoab1) May 8, 2025Yikes. Have some dignity FFS.
— Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) May 8, 2025Toadies everywhere. Luckily he has no use for good advice.
— WheelJork (@WheelJork) May 8, 2025We Won't Back Down
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Donald Trump has been in office for 100 days. Our newsroom has stood strong — fearless, unflinching, and relentless in pursuit of the truth. And we're not stopping now. Would you support our mission during this critical time in our nation's history?
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It’s hard to watch a man with no shame.
— Raghu Venugopal MD (@raghu_venugopal) May 8, 2025Donald Trump may not have been able to get other countries to "kiss [his] ass" as he told MAGA rally goers he was doing. But at least he has the Cabinet to do it. Trump just eats it up when they heap undeserved praise on him.
— Laurence (Larry) Boorstein (@LarryBoorstein) May 8, 2025Why does every Trump Press conference, or cabinet meeting , start out with a solid minute of ass kissing? It's truly sickening.
— Denison Barb (@DenisonBarbs) May 8, 2025
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