7/25/2017 Trump boy scout Jamboree speech angers parents - BBC News

Trump boy scout Jamboree speech angers

parents
2 hours ago US & Canada

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Donald Trump delivered a speech to remember to the Boy Scouts of America
Parents have expressed anger after President Donald Trump
delivered a highly politicised speech to tens of thousands of boy
scouts.

Mr Trump started by saying: "Who the hell wants to speak about

politics?"

But his speech to the Jamboree in West Virginia railed against Barack
Obama, Hillary Clinton and the "cesspool" of politics, drawing whoops
and cheers.

One parent wrote: "Done with scouts after you felt the need to have
my kid listen to a liar stroke his ego."

The Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of America is held every four years
and drew about 35,000 scouts from the ages of 12 to 18 to the latest
event, held in Beaver, West Virginia, on Monday evening.

The Jamboree had issued a warning on its blog about being

respectful.

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It read: "Chants of certain phrases heard during the campaign (e.g.

'build the wall', 'lock her up') are considered divisive by many
members of our audience, and may cause unnecessary friction."

But in a rambling 35-minute speech, Mr Trump whipped up a

response of boos, cheers, chants and jeers as he lambasted fake
news, Hillary Clinton's election campaign and President Obama's
failure to address a Jamboree in person.

AFP

Responding to the criticism of the speech, the Boy Scouts of America

insisted it was "wholly non-partisan and does not promote any one
position, product, service, political candidate or philosophy".

It said the invitation to Mr Trump was a "long-standing tradition and is

in no way an endorsement of any political party or specific policies".

But the Boy Scouts of America Facebook pagecarried a number of

angry posts.

Jude Nevans Cleaver wrote: "I am the proud mother of a former scout
who was sheltered from that pack of lies speech at the Jamboree.
Done with scouts after you felt the need to have my kid listen to a liar
stroke his ego on our time."

Debbie S. Milligan said: "Wow, this is what you are teaching the Boy
Scouts? To be disrespectful to a Past President. One that had been a
Boy Scout, unlike the current President. Completely disrespectful!"

On Instagram, Pete Souza, the former chief official White House

photographer, posted a picture of President Barack Obama
meeting a scout.
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"I can assure you, POTUS [president of the United States] was not
telling this Cub Scout and the Boy Scouts who followed about his
electoral college victory," Mr Souza wrote.

Many parents, lobbyists and politicians took to social media to cite the
107-year-old organisation's values, and to suggest Mr Trump had
failed them.

Lobbyist for women's and LGBT rights Amy Siskind tweeted: "If the
Boy Scouts organization has any decency, they'll come out with a
statement tonight denouncing Trump, and giving instructions for all
troop leaders to speak to these boys about what they just heard and
why it was wrong."

Leila Rice @Leila_A_Rice Follow

@boyscouts,Trump's speech violated your own policy. My

son didn't join the Scouts to be used as POTUS's political
prop! twitter.com/bcappelbaum/st
10:38 PM - 24 Jul 2017

19 60

Report

Lori @seagal_lori Follow

Who at @boyscoutsthought that having an unpredictable,

ranting lunatic speak to children was a good idea? I'd pull
my son out. #Shame
7:31 PM - 24 Jul 2017

48 133

Report

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Asha Rangappa @AshaRangappa_ 13h

Replying to @AshaRangappa_
Especially appalled as I'm in a scouting family that includes
two Eagle Scouts and my son aspires to be one.
Disappointing, @boyscouts .

Mirren @newhall89 Follow

My son is a Boy Scout, too. I am glad he is at camp in CA

and not at Jamboree. That was horrifying.
8:13 PM - 24 Jul 2017

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Chris Murphy @ChrisMurphyCT Follow

As a Scout leader, my stomach is in knots about what

Trump did today. If you haven't watched it yet, don't. It's
downright icky.
9:01 PM - 24 Jul 2017

7,929 24,165

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But the tweets were not all anti-Trump, with some praising the scouts
for their love of the president.

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7/25/2017 Trump boy scout Jamboree speech angers parents - BBC News

WINNING IN AMERICA! @TheTrumpL Follow

40K STRONG Boy Scouts of America Shout WE LOVE

TRUMP, WE LOVE TRUMP at Jamboree Thx God We
Now Have a @POTUS Who Loves Our Country!
9:27 PM - 24 Jul 2017

1,999 3,625

Report

First Words @unscriptedmike Follow

Boy Scouts#BoyscoutJamboree

Liberals triggered bigly as Trump speaks the truth to 40,000

cheering scouts. Molding the future leaders.
7:19 PM - 24 Jul 2017

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So what were the memorable moments?

The size of the crowd

A familiar point of contention for the president, who was lambasted in

the media over his estimation of the numbers at his inauguration
address.

"Boy, you have a lot of people here. The press will say it's about 200
people. (Draws laughter.) It looks like about 45,000 people. You set a
record today."

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"Fake media, fake media," he says, to boos and cheers.

Boy Scout credentials

Mr Trump says he has 10 ex-boy scouts in his cabinet and in the

White House and turns on Barack Obama.

"By the way, just a question: did President Obama ever come to a
Jamboree?" Mr Trump asks. The audience shouts "No!". Mr Obama
did address the Jamboree by video link in 2010. He was also a former
boy scout, unlike Mr Trump.

The election victory

Mr Trump decries the electoral college system but goes through his
victories, mentioning state after state to various cheers. He then says
he worked hard in Michigan, adding "my opponent didn't work hard
there" which draws boos from the audience.

Obamacare and the veiled threat

The audience of youngsters is introduced to former boy scout Tom

Price, the health secretary.

He tells Mr Price he had "better get senators to vote" when a

showdown on healthcare comes up on Tuesday.

Mr Trump says: "He better get them. He better get them. Oh, he better
- otherwise, I'll say 'Tom, you're fired!' I'll get somebody". More
applause.

Obamacare v Republican plan compared

'Don't take away our healthcare' says Trump country

The "sewer"

"You know, I go to Washington and I see all these politicians and I see
the swamp and it's not a good place," says Mr Trump.

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"In fact, today I said we ought to change it from the word 'swamp' to
the word 'cesspool' or perhaps to the word 'sewer'."

Scout values

Mr Trump says: "As the scout law says, a scout is trustworthy, loyal.
We could use some more loyalty, I will tell you that."

A nod, perhaps, to the James Comey affair. The sacked FBI chief
claimed Mr Trump had demanded loyalty from him, something the
president denies.

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