It was supposed to be a simple photo opportunity where President Donald Trump tries not to look like an evil tyrant as his all-white Cabinet (don’t worry; we see you, Ben Carson!) sits around the president, but of course this moment involved Trump, which means it got really weird really fast.
After signing some stuff, the president praised himself as one of the most productive signing-stuff presidents ever and then conceded that President Franklin D. Roosevelt may have signed stuff better than he did.
Godfather Trump then asked the Cabinet members to introduce themselves and their position. The scene quickly devolved into a scene from a mob movie, with his entire Cabinet taking turns praising the Godfather—or possibly meeting their fate at the end of a baseball bat.
Vice President Mike Pence started the praise fest: “The greatest privilege of my life is to serve as vice president to the president who’s keeping his word to the American people,” the New York Times reports.
Then came the Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta: “I am privileged to be here—deeply honored—and I want to thank you for your commitment to the American workers.”
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue noted that the people of Mississippi just “love you there.”
But the true tribute and most bizarre moment came from “The most likely to be beaten by Trump with a baseball bat,” chief of staff Reince Priebus, whose job is hanging on by an angel’s eyelash.
“We thank you for the opportunity and the blessing to serve your agenda,” Priebus said, the Times reports.
The scene was so bizarre that even Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had to poke fun at it.
Read more at the New York Times.