Trump hears updates from his Cabinet…however skips proper over embattled Noem | EUROtoday

President Donald Trump has at all times liked listening to fulsome reward from his hand-picked cupboard at conferences that may run for 2 to a few hours whereas every division chief sounds off on how great he’s and recounting his administration’s most up-to-date wins.

But not this time.

Trump on Thursday abruptly ended what was billed as the primary cupboard assembly of the brand new yr with out taking any questions from reporters and with out listening to from one in every of his most outstanding — and lately most troublesome — cupboard secretaries, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Instead, after studying ready remarks stuffed together with his traditional — and sometimes inaccurate — boasts in regards to the state of the U.S. financial system with some bulletins about re-opening Venezuelan airspace and a request for Russia’s Vladimir Putin to cease bombing Kyiv for every week as a result of chilly climate, Trump disbursed together with his traditional follow of letting cupboard officers go across the giant Nixon-era desk to supply their very own remarks and as an alternative known as on a collection of hand-picked advisers.

He began together with his roving peace envoy, Steve Witkoff, then gave the ground to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Small Business Administration boss Kelly Loeffler and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier than asking Vice President JD Vance if he’d ship any closing remarks.

Vance declined to take action and quipped that he was solely attending “for the free coffee.”

Trump, who claimed the truncated session had been “amazing” and mentioned he preferred the format “much better than going around for three hours,” then ended the assembly at which level his aides started to shriek on the assembled reporters to depart the room.

Noem, who was seated on the far finish of the desk to Trump’s left, didn’t converse a phrase throughout the roughly 90-minute session, nor did Trump acknowledge her presence.

It was a stark distinction from the earlier 9 cupboard conferences held since Trump’s return to energy simply over a yr in the past.

Each of these conferences inevitably turned multi-hour affairs full with prolonged question-and-answer classes with reporters, who usually put questions not simply to the president however to the varied cupboard secretaries and advisers in attendance.

The uncharacteristically brief cupboard assembly — and the pointed snub of his Homeland Security secretary — comes as she stays below intense scrutiny on account of her response to the deadly taking pictures of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti on Saturday.

After Border Patrol brokers fired photographs into Pretti’s again inside 5 seconds of wrestling him to the bottom after one officer eliminated a holstered pistol from Pretti’s waist, Noem and Border Patrol official Greg Bovino each falsely claimed that Pretti had brandished the weapon or approached officers with the intent of taking pictures them.

Noem claimed on Saturday the taking pictures had been the consequence of “a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and kill law enforcement,” despite the fact that Pretti by no means drew his weapon, which he had a allow to hold, and didn’t confront the brokers earlier than he was tackled after attempting to assist a lady who’d been shoved by a CBP agent.

She additionally falsely accused him of getting “reacted violently” when brokers tried to disarm him — a declare that seems to be contradicted by video of the taking pictures.

Noem has since defended her false statements by attributing them to speaking factors supplied by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller — the principle architect of Trump’s mass deportation marketing campaign — whereas Miller has, in flip, thrown Border Patrol personnel below the bus by claiming in an announcement that he obtained the false data at difficulty from them.

Her dealing with of the state of affairs has not simply Democrats, however a number of Republicans on Capitol Hill calling for her to stop or be fired — with Democrats threatening impeachment ought to she stay lengthy sufficient for them to take management of Congress after this November’s midterm elections.

Trump has so far mentioned he has confidence in her, telling reporters this week that he gained’t ask for her resignation as a result of she is “doing a very good job.”

Despite Trump’s professions of help, he has an extended historical past of jettisoning advisers and associates even after vouching for them, particularly when members of his personal celebration name for him to take action.

In addition to silencing her at Thursday’s cupboard assembly, he kneecapped her earlier within the week by dispatching Border Czar Tom Homan, a former Border Patrol and ICE agent who ran Immigration and Customs Enforcement throughout a part of his first time period, to Minnesota to take cost of the state of affairs and report on to him.