Donald Trump scheduled his North Carolina presidential election rally to coincide with former special counsel Robert Mueller III’s appearance before the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees. When the hearings were postponed until this Wednesday, POTUS must have felt he needed to be glued to his television set rather than fulfilling some of the duties of his job. Here’s what’s up.
Every year presidents have gone before the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Auxiliary annual national convention. Last year, Trump told the sparse audience that they should not pay attention to what they saw and what they heard. Instead, they should listen to him. He pointed to the reporters at the back of the room as the crowd booed and said, according to the White House remarks:
‘Don’t believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news. Just remember, what you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening.’
This year, the president changed his schedule to be closer to his television set as Mueller testified before the two House committees. He was supposed to be the featured speaker at the VFW/Auxiliary’s 120th convention in Orlando, Florida.
Instead, Trump will send Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in his place. The presidential speech has been so entrenched in the Veterans’ two organizations that they named one event: Commander-in-Chief’s and National President’s Reception. This year, it will have to be the Secretary of State’s and National President’s Reception.
It was a surprise that Trump decided to skip this audience. After all, they include some of his most valuable supporters, veterans of the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and a dwindling few from World War II. Yet, the newer members, both men and women, who have served in the longest war in the U.S.’s history, the Afghanistan War, are not quite so adoring.
There are 1.6 million members in the VFW and Auxiliary, and thousands of them will be at the week-long event. The VFW ‘s mission is:
‘…to approve new national priorities to guide our organization as we lobby Congress on issues important to the nation’s veterans, service members and their families. Convention delegates also elect new leadership, as well as recognize prominent individuals and organizations for their support of veterans and military personnel.’
Last year, Trump told the national convention audience in Kansas City:
‘I’m honored to be here today in Kansas City, Missouri, to pay tribute to the men and women who make freedom possible. Kansas City. And what a special place. What a special group of people. The Veterans of Foreign Wars, you people should be very proud of yourselves. I want to personally thank each and every one of you who has served our country in uniform, defended our nation in battle, and protected our great American flag. Thank you. (Applause.)’
Trump continued:
‘Next year will mark the 120th anniversary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the oldest major veterans organization in our country. That’s pretty good, right? (Applause.) For more than a century, the VFW has represented American heroes who promoted American values. And they did so with honor. You are the universal symbol of the patriotic pride that beats loudly in every single American heart. We don’t apologize for America anymore. We stand up for America. (Applause.) We stand up for the patriots who defend America. (Applause.) And we stand up for our National Anthem.’
POTUS went on to talk about withdrawing from the “Iran Nuclear Deal:”
‘I withdrew the United States from the horrible one-sided Iran nuclear deal. (Applause.) And Iran is not the same country anymore. That I can say. And we’ll see what happens. But we’re ready to make a real deal, not the deal that was done by the previous administration, which was a disaster.’
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
