White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and FBI Director Kash Patel had people cringing hard after they tried to one-up each other with their glowing praise of President Donald Trump during a roundtable about crime and public safety on Monday in Memphis, Tennessee.
Trump, who signed an executive order in September creating a task force dedicated to crime in Memphis, spoke in terms that gave insight into how his administration will use Memphis as a testing ground for its initiatives fighting urban crime.
But things got weird when both Miller and Patel fawned over the president while making clear to audience members they believe Trump—and only Trump—can keep America "safe."
Miller said:
"What President Trump is doing—not just in D.C. but all over the country—ultimately it will save and is saving tens of thousands of American lives. ... What President Trump is doing on border security and public safety is a national miracle that will be studied not only for generations but for centuries to come."
Trump laughed and thanked Miller before he challenged FBI Director Kash Patel to "top that," adding:
"I don't know, that's a tough one, Kash."
Patel responded:
"That is tough. You know, Mr. President, as I look around I see and am reminded why we have the greatest warriors on God's green earth: the men and women serving in uniform, the men and women serving and wearing the badge, our law enforcement, our police, our sheriffs in Tennessee."
"I'm reminded that Americans exist to protect this country and they've done it, day in and day out, like we've done it here. But what we didn't have was you. We didn't have a commander-in-chief who backed the blue, who funded and resourced the blue, who funded the military, to do whatever it takes to safeguard every single life."
"And here in Memphis, Tennessee, you have put on a show for the world. You have allowed us to go out there and capture gangbangers, rapists, murderers, drug dealers, at record, historic levels. And for me, a first generation Indian-American kid whose parents who fled a genocide in East Africa, to become the ninth director of the FBI, I'm living the wildest dream you could possibly imagine, sir."
"That's thanks to you. But more importantly, what I see when I look out at our great partners here, in our agency, in our legislators, in our prosecutors, our great attorney general who has the guts to go out there and make arrests and turn them into prosecutions that put people in prison, you are...you are giving that dream to every single child in the state of Tennessee."
And he wasn't finished:
"You are inspiring the nation and law enforcement to come up and wear the badge and wear the colors of this country and safeguard our men and women for generations to come. This is an enduring mission, Mr. President, because you've made it enduring. It's going to go on for generations to come."
"They're going to try to achieve what you've achieved, like what Stephen said, in one short year, and they're going to be doing it for decades because America was smart enough to elect you as our commander-in-chief. So while we're out there, fighting for the dreams of our children, just know, Mr. President, how many millions of dreams, like mine, are going to be lived thanks to your brilliant leadership."
"Mr. President, thanks for delivering America the safest, safest, safest country on God's green earth."
You can watch what happened in the video below.
People were very weirded out by the display.
Remember, MAGA's a cult—and a vehicle for Trump's narcissism.
