Donald Trump moved from one sentiment to another during his cabinet meeting on July 8: satisfaction after "a tremendous six months"; emotion when recalling the floods that devastated Texas; frustration with Vladimir Putin, who throws "a lot of bullshit" about the war in Ukraine; and irritation after a journalist's question about the lack of new information in a United States Department of Justice memorandum regarding former financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison while accused of operating a sexual exploitation network – a case that continues to preoccupy part of the Trump base. In the presence of the press and over the course of more than an hour and a half, Trump multiplied his digressions. However, an unexpected subject was particularly dear to him: the new decor − which he himself arranged − of the room dedicated to these meetings, which occupied him for several minutes.

"You know, we spent a lot of time, effort − very little money − on this room. This is called the Cabinet Room. It's been here for a long time, and it had some pictures − [there] were not many of them and not very good ones," the president recounted, clearly comfortable, admitting he spent time in the White House storage rooms to select the artworks now on display. "I picked it all myself. I'm very proud of it," he continued, reviewing the portraits he had chosen.

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