Dec 2, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Trump's highest compliment

Mike Allen

Photo illustration of Donald Trump and a heart-shaped speech bubble. — Photo illustration: Maura Losch/Axios. Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images.

Just for fun, our friends at Penta Group are keeping a spreadsheet of the accolades President-elect Trump bestows on his picks for Cabinet and staff in the emailed announcements.

Why it matters: "Great Honor" (capitalized) seems to be the highest compliment. "Pleased" is standard fare.

By the numbers: Behold, the "Trumpology tracker" data:

pleased: 18
very pleased: 4
most pleased: 1
proud: 4
honored: 3
thrilled: 2
great honor: 1 (Linda McMahon for SBA)
Great Honor: 3 (the now-withdrawn Matt Gaetz for Justice, Marco Rubio for State and Brooke Rollins for Agriculture)

What they're saying: "There is one final decider and as his statements come out, you can see slight nuances in the language," Penta CEO Matt McDonald says.

"It kind of reminds me of the old Kremlinology of the Cold War, where people were parsing whatever public indicators there were to tell who was up or who was out."

Go deeper... Behind the Curtain: Trump's shock and awe

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Trump's highest compliment

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