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.
“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.