US President Donald Trump attended the National Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of America in West Virginia, Monday and he delivered a speech more fitting for a political rally rather than a nonpartisan gathering.
In his address to the delegates, the President hit out at fake news, Obama, Hillary Clinton, media, and pundits among others. He particularly criticized Obamacare and reiterated his intention to have it overhauled.
Who wants to be political?
Initially, Trump did not intend for his address to be political, saying "…who the hell wants to speak about politics when I'm in front of the Boy Scouts?" Well, not surprisingly, it turned out Trump is the answer to his own question.
He called stories about policy fights in DC “fake news” and told the crowd to set those aside. But with the looming vote for the Republican Health Care bill in the Senate, the US President could not help himself and attacked Obama’s Affordable Health Care Act, which he criticized as “horrible” and “…really hurting us.”
Get the votes or you’re fired
With the uncertain outcome of the voting at the U.S. Senate, Donald Trump expressed his hope that Secretary Price would get the votes needed to overcome the procedural hurdle that could kill the chance of passing the Republican Health Care Bill and overhaul Obamacare.
Trump then went on and asked Tom Price, “By the way, are you going to get the votes?
You better get the votes. Otherwise, I’ll say, ‘Tom, you’re fired.’
Boy Scouts of America’s statement
With Donald Trump turning the gathering of scouts and volunteers into one of his political campaign stops, CNN Politics reports that Boy Scouts of America issued its statement clarifying that it did not endorse Trump and nor did the group support a particular "position, product, service, political candidate or philosophy”.
There are also parents who are unhappy with Trump’s political speech at the National Jamboree and who went on to express their opinions on Twitter.
Long standing tradition
The official website of the Boy Scouts of America announced earlier that United States President Donald J. Trump will become the eighth President to join its National Jamboree.
According to the organization, each sitting U.S. President has served as the Boy Scouts of America’s honorary president since its inception in 1910.
The BSA also pointed out in its statement that it is the longstanding custom of the organization to invite the sitting U.S. President to the National Jamboree.
