Praise indicates loyalty and loyalty is essential to President Donald Trump. That's likely why a recent round table regarding how best to begin reopening schools in the wake of the pandemic turned into an hour long parade of praise for the President.
With 130 thousand Americans dead and millions more out of work, educators and local officials took turns praising the President for his response to the virus, though public approval of it has steadily sunk since April and now sits at only 39.5 percent.
Few bestowed more praise on Trump than Missouri Governor Mike Parson, who praised the President for over a minute.
Watch below.
It's another one of those White House meetings in which Trump encourages everybody to go around the room and praise him. Get a load of this stuff from @GovParsonMO. #DearLeader pic.twitter.com/Ix23MnWkc1
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 7, 2020
Parson said:
"I'm just honored and humbled to be here sitting with you, the Vice President, the First Lady and the Second Lady. Those dreams you think about some day, you never imagine them being reality, but here we are. So it's an honor to be here today."
Parson took a break from praising Trump to thank him.
Let me first start off by just saying thanks to the President, the Vice President for what they've done over the last—well, since they've been in office to say the least—but over the last 17, 18 weeks, they've been on the phone every week.
Then to praising him again...
The President himself has been and I don't mean for five minutes to say 'Hello, governors' and 'See ya later.'...and the one thing they've stressed every day in those phone calls every week, they're trying to do the best thing for this country, for every day people out there and they were trying to make their full support to the governors across this state."
And, finally, back to thanking him.
"I just want to thank you for doing that. For leading. It's what good leaders do in time of crisis. I just want to thank you for that."
While Governor Parson may have had a good experience, Trump's own statements and actions towards governors throughout the pandemic contradict Parson's praise.
Trump attacked governors like JB Pritzker and Gretchen Whitmer on Twitter for asking that the federal government do more to organize a national response to the virus, rather than leaving governors to their own devices in obtaining lifesaving equipment and determining testing strategies.
Trump even bragged that—as deaths across the country continued to rise—he instructed Vice President Mike Pence not to reach out to governors whom he didn't think respected him enough.
Parson's praise for Trump struck people as bizarre to say the least.
Some used the awkward moment to bolster support for Parson's 2020 gubernatorial opponent, Missouri state auditor Nicole Galloway.
On Wednesday, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported a record increase of over 700 new cases in the state for Tuesday—the day Governor Parson heaped praise upon Trump.
