During a reception for House Republicans at the White House on Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump stood by while House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) repeatedly and effusively praised him, drawing widespread mockery on social media.
“I am so thankful and humble to work with this group, Mr. President, they are committed to the country as you are,” Johnson said. “You are the strong leader, the example for us, with your stamina we know we can never sleep, OK? We’ve got more to do, much more to do, to deliver for the people. We thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for this celebration. Everybody here deserves it. God bless you.”
Richmond, Virginia-based attorney Mark Ramos opined that “sycophancy” defines Trump’s second term, but posited that the deference Republicans show to Trump is on an entirely different level.
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“It’s not just the existence of the sycophancy; all politics is full of platitudes and puffery. It’s the transparent shamelessness (and shameless transparency) of it,” he wrote on X. “The prostrative fawning as a price of admission, [with] so many [Republicans] eager to pay. Hagiographic fiction spun in realtime.”
Others took jabs at Johnson’s obsequious behavior, with comedian Steve Marmel tweeting: “Ya got a little brown on your nose there, Mikey.” Liberal group MeidasTouch’s Ron Filipkowski responded to Johnson’s comment about Trump’s stamina by tweeting “contradicted by Stormy Daniels.”
“The kissing up to the dear leader is so on brand,” wrote Rev. Dr. Marvin Tiller Jr. of the Chester, Pennsylvania-based Temple Baptist Church.
“Authoritarian cult leader alert,” wrote New York University historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat. “Mussolini’s officials would tell him the same thing.”
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Watch the video of Johnson’s comments below, or by clicking this link.