Inside President Trump's Lengthy and Unconventional Cabinet Meeting

What do you offer a president who demands constant attention from everyone around him?

On Tuesday, President Trump’s cabinet members experienced the answer firsthand: a televised White House meeting that stretched for nearly half the workday.

In front of a room filled with cameras, the former reality TV host revealed much about his approach to leadership — marked by an ego needing regular affirmation and relentless energy. At one point, he proclaimed, “This has never been done before,” as he called on his secretaries to speak and marveled at the reporters’ endurance in holding microphones and cameras for hours on end.

Inside the Cabinet Room — which is beginning to resemble the ornate yet confining style of the president’s Oval Office — each member of the administration took their turn, competing to flatter the president and assure him that they were diligently addressing his extensive list of concerns.

That agenda reflected the president’s personal priorities and grievances. It ranged from banning transgender athletes in sports, to considering severe measures — including the death penalty — to combat violent crime; addressing the perceived hazards of wind turbines; complaints about neglected highway medians; concerns over water flow rates; and efforts to broker peace in up to seven ongoing global conflicts, a figure that seemed to increase by the hour.

Notably, the president, known for his pop culture awareness, had surprisingly little to say about the day’s biggest entertainment news: the engagement of Taylor Swift, a figure he has publicly criticized and pressured for political support, to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The meeting’s duration was so long that he was eventually prompted to comment on the engagement during the session.