CNN's "New Day" panel on Tuesday mocked President Donald Trump's unusual Cabinet meeting a day earlier as a "bizarre love fest," with host Alisyn Camerota quipping, "I have to shower now."
At his first official Cabinet meeting on Monday, Trump's Cabinet members took turns discussing their jobs, but they also offered effusive praise for the president and thanked him for the privilege to serve.
"It's the greatest privilege of my life to serve as vice president to a president who's keeping his word to the American people," Vice President Mike Pence said.
"What an incredible honor it is to lead the Department of Health and Human Services at this pivotal time under your leadership," HHS Secretary Dr. Tom Price said.
"Mr. President, thank you for the honor to serve the country. It's a great privilege you've given me," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.
"Mr. President, we thank you for the opportunity and blessing to serve your agenda and the American people," Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said.
After CNN played clips from the meeting, Camerota said, "if you'll excuse me, I have to shower now."
New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said Trump likely did not order his administration members to make those comments, but she said this was how his staff spoke to him when he worked out of Trump Tower.
"I think that it's not a huge leap," Haberman said. "The problem is, as with everything, this is the seat of U.S. government. This is the Cabinet room. This is a somber meeting."
Haberman said she agreed with the characterization of the occasion by some observers as one comparable to "Dear Leader" language.
"It was very North Korean," CNN analyst Jeffrey Toobin said.
He noted, as others did, that Defense Secretary James Mattis did not join in the praise of Trump himself, instead reserving his supportive words for the men and women of the military.
"[Trump] has a real difficulty distinguishing between the personal and the institutional," Haberman said. "There is this weird, "the state is me" quality about how he runs this government. You saw Mattis there as the only person who really didn't join in that and made clear this is about something broader. This is about country."
CNN host Chris Cuomo joked that he wanted to thank the president for allowing him to discuss the subject.