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Things We Saw Today: Trump’s Speech to the Boy Scouts Crossed the Line, Then Set the Line on Fire

Then he danced, badly, across the burning line.

By Jul 25th, 2017, 5:57 pm

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By now you’ve probably heard that Donald Trump addressed a gathering of thousands of young Boy Scouts and ranted at them about Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, the “fake news” media, the size of his electoral victory, and cocktail parties with real estate developers. It was a terrifying mess.

(In terms of setting fires, I’m absolutely positive Trump did not demonstrate the skills and protocols necessary to earn even the Scouts’ temporary Firem’n Chit badge. He just threw down some gasoline.)

Every time I think Trump can no longer do anything to surprise me, I am quickly proven incorrect. You might think that a massed collection of Boy Scouts at their traditional, beloved Jamboree event might be the one spot where Donald Trump could choose to not act unhinged and attack his perceived “enemies.” Maybe just set that one, single, solitary example for the kids.

But you would be wrong. Trump, who seemed animated by the size of the crowd of captive Scouts who didn’t have a choice in seeing his speech, was in true Trump form, telling this collection of children about the “fake news” media, leading them in choruses of boos and shouts, and telling rambling, disturbing tales about his rich friends’ adventures. The speech defied belief and my ability to describe it. I’m so disgusted I’m struggling to write more about this event that is certain to go down in history, so here’re a few takes:

Never forget that Barack Obama was an actual Boy Scout, and Donald Trump, never a Boy Scout, led the Scouts to boo the former President and Obamacare. Pete Souza, former White House photographer extraordinaire and most beautiful troll in the world, had this to post:

I can assure you, POTUS was not telling this Cub Scout and the Boy Scouts who followed about his electoral college victory.

A post shared by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on

And read this whole, genius thread:

I’m both sorry and also excited for future historians who have to write about Donald Trump’s mostly incoherent, hugely inappropriate address to the Boy Scouts of America that drew comparisons to indoctrinating Hilter Youth. Have fun, historians!

  • BTW, Broad City is using “Trump” as a filthy expletive. Me too! (via Variety)
  • This happened today. We are so Trumphed.
  • David Tennant visited Scrooge McDuck at Disneyland, OK? (via Oh My Disney)
  • THE BLACK PANTHER CAST AT COMIC CON IS EVERYTHING, FOREVER. (via io9)
  • Simpsons mastermind Matt Groening is making an adult oriented animated fantasy Netflix comedy. I like all of those preceding words and ideas. (via Deadline)
  • Michelle Pfeiffer will be playing Janet Van Dyne in Ant-Man and the Wasp and we are (nearly) as excited about the news as Evangeline Lilly.

Bzz, bzz, so what you spot while flying overhead today, honeybees?

(images: Shutterstock/Giphy)

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Author
Kaila Hale-Stern
Kaila Hale-Stern (she/her) is a content director, editor, and writer who has been working in digital media for more than fifteen years. She started at TMS in 2016. She loves to write about TV—especially science fiction, fantasy, and mystery shows—and movies, with an emphasis on Marvel. Talk to her about fandom, queer representation, and Captain Kirk. Kaila has written for io9, Gizmodo, New York Magazine, The Awl, Wired, Cosmopolitan, and once published a Harlequin novel you'll never find.
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