‘Biggest Crowd They’ve Ever Had’ Trump Also Wrongly Claims
President Donald Trump’s speech to the Boy Scouts of America at their quadrennial Jamboree in West Virginia last week was so offensive the nonpartisan organization was forced to apologize. Twice. Thousands (if not more, by now) took to social media to blast the Boy Scouts (BSA) for allowing Trump to address about 40,000 children, some as young as 11, in a speech during which he used profanity, spun an inappropriate tale about a cocktail party, incited the Scouts to boo former President Barack Obama and Trump’s recent political opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Also in his speech to the Scouts the President, who is automatically the honorary President of the Boy Scouts, took credit for the “massive crowd” of scouts, attacked the “fake media,” urged the Scouts give him their loyalty, talked about repealing ObamaCare, threatened to fire a cabinet member, bragged about his Electoral College win, and more.
It was an unmitigated disaster.
So President Trump decided to lie about it.
“I got a call from the head of the Boy Scouts saying it was the greatest speech that was ever made to them, and they were very thankful,” Trump told The Wall Street Journal, as a transcript of his interview that was leaked to Politico Tuesday reveals.
Also revealing is the manner in which Trump discussed the event with the Wall Street Journal’s Gerard Baker. Here’s the excerpt, which begins as the conversation turns to Trump’s visit to the Jamboree.
WSJ: We were in West Virginia yesterday.
TRUMP: Oh, you did? Was that a scene, though? Huh?
WSJ: That was a scene, yes. (Laughter.)
TRUMP: Biggest crowd they’ve ever had. What did you think?
WSJ: I thought it was an interesting speech in the context of the Boy Scouts.
TRUMP: Right.
WSJ: They seemed to get a lot of feedback from former scouts and –
TRUMP: Did they like it?
WSJ: It seemed mixed.
TRUMP: They loved it. [Laughter.] It wasn’t — it was no mix. That was a standing –
WSJ: In the — you got a good — you got a good reaction in –
TRUMP: I mean, you know, he writes mostly negative stuff. But that was a standing ovation –
WSJ: You got a good reaction inside the arena, that’s right.
TRUMP: … from the time I walked out on the stage — because I know. And by the way, I’d be the first to admit mixed. I’m a guy that will tell you mixed. There was no mix there. That was a standing ovation from the time I walked out to the time I left, and for five minutes after I had already gone. There was no mix.
WSJ: Yeah, there was a lot of supporters in the arena.
TRUMP: And I got a call from the head of the Boy Scouts saying it was the greatest speech that was ever made to them, and they were very thankful. So there was — there was no mix.
Notice how the reporter is forced to acknowledge the points he can that Trump makes while not affirming Trump’s lies.Â
TIME reporter Alana Abramson says the Boy Scouts dispute President Trump’s claim:
In her article Abramson reports the BSA “told TIME they are unaware of any call from national leadership placed to the White House.”
Toronto Star Daniel Dale also reported Trump’s claim is false:
RELATED STORIES:
WATCH: Mika Brzezinski Walks Through Trump’s Disastrous Week, Dubs It #FailureFriday, Twitter Cheers
Â
Â