A Bunch Of Veterans Joined Trump In Booing Reporters And The VFW Is Not Happy – By Brianna Sacks (buzzfeed.com) / July 24 2018
The Veterans of Foreign Wars said it was “disappointed” in its members and stood up for the media after the heckling.
President Donald Trump galvanized a group of veterans to boo and heckle the media during a national convention for the Veterans of Foreign Wars on Tuesday, prompting a rebuke from the organization.
Carlos Barria / Reuters
The veterans services organization said it was “disappointed” that members joined in on Trump’s refrain of attacking the media.
LIVE: President Trump delivers remarks at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) National Convention in Kansas City. https://t.co/GwjjTAplxb
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) July 24, 2018
“We were disappointed to hear some of our members boo the press. We rely on the media to help spread the VFW’s message, and CNN, NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, and others on site today were our invited guests,” spokeperson Randi Law said in a statement. “We were happy to have them there.”
The president addressed the crowd of veterans at the organization’s large convention in Kansas City, Missouri, belaboring topics like illegal immigration, tariffs, and the trade policies of other countries.
Toward the middle of his address, Trump suddenly pointed at reporters in the back of the room and told the audience, “What you are seeing and what you are reading is not happening.”
"Just remember, what you are seeing and what you are reading is not what's happening" Trump says at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention. pic.twitter.com/NWFsB8QV2g
— Vera Bergengruen (@VeraMBergen) July 24, 2018
“Just stick with us,” Trump said of his administration. “Don’t believe the crap you see from these people — the fake news.”
The group of veterans loudly cheered, booed, clapped, and laughed as the president attacked NBC.
Carlos Barria / Reuters Veterans cheer as President Trump takes to the stage in Kansas City, Missouri.
After the president’s speech, VFW took to Twitter to publicly push back against his remarks and stood up for the outlets he consistently undercuts, including CNN and NBC.
Today, we were disappointed to hear some of our members boo the press during President Trump's remarks. We rely on the media to spread the VFW message, and @CNN, @NBCNews, @ABC, @FoxNews, @CBSNews, & others on site today, were our invited guests. We were happy to have them there.
— VFW National HQ (@VFWHQ) July 24, 2018
People applauded the VFW for its statement.
Kudos to the VFW leadership.
Has any other organization pushed back at Trump after inviting him to appear? (Boy Scouts apologized, “to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric…”) https://t.co/rIWZH6Q8lb— Thomas (@Winston_Wolfe) July 24, 2018
And others shared the VFW’s support of the media.
Not all veterans of foreign wars hate the "fake news." One vet just came up to me after Trump's speech to shake my hand, thank me for my reporting and whispered, "I have one question: How do you put up with this bullsh– every day?" https://t.co/F39jBJBzXz
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) July 24, 2018
“As a veteran, I am disappointed to have heard fellow vets boo at members of the free press,” one person said. “We all took an oath to protect the Constitution. All of it.”
https://twitter.com/Snikda88/status/1021872743569076230
Others, however, were upset with the veterans organization for hosting the president, who avoided the draft several times due to a bone spur, and for not taking stronger action against his remarks.
Today, we were disappointed to hear some of our members boo the press during President Trump's remarks. We rely on the media to spread the VFW message, and @CNN, @NBCNews, @ABC, @FoxNews, @CBSNews, & others on site today, were our invited guests. We were happy to have them there.
— VFW National HQ (@VFWHQ) July 24, 2018
On top of the fact that troops serve to protect freedom–including freedom of the press–many of the VA beat reporters in attendance are veterans themselves.
By facilitating this predictable spectacle, @VFWHQ really discredited themselves and the entire community today. https://t.co/Xu3owf7shE
— Brandon Friedman (@BFriedmanDC) July 24, 2018
Yeah, I'm cancelling payments on my membership. This is a remarkably weak response, especially considering that when you're talking about attendees at the National Convention, those "some of our members" are actually pretty much all VFW leadership. https://t.co/9IgPiw6qsB
— Bryce Dubee (@Dubeeous) July 24, 2018
Trump is known for criticizing the press and almost anyone else who disagrees with him during his speeches, even at events normally devoid of politicized rhetoric. Almost a year ago, the Boy Scouts of America issued an apologetic statement after Trump delivered an overtly political speech in which he also lashed out at the media during their national jamboree.
Dwight Perry, a 66-year-old Army vet, told the Washington Post that the president should not have politicized their convention. “This is not what you do at a VFW convention. … He didn’t have to come out here and talk about how great he is,” the vet said.
Army vet Dwight Perry, 66, speaking to @PhilipRucker after Trump's @VFWHQ speech:
“This was a political speech. This is not what you do at a VFW convention… He didn’t have to come out here and talk about how great he is. That’s not what you do here.”https://t.co/yUd4wyLwtL
— Dan Lamothe (@DanLamothe) July 24, 2018
Many veterans reportedly decided to skip the president’s speech. At the last minute, the organization moved Trump’s event from the convention center to the auditorium.
Oof. Yesterday VFW announced last-minute that Trump's speech was being moved out of the convention center and into the auditorium. Appears they couldn't fill the auditorium, either. https://t.co/JptvT0Z0Gz
— Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) July 24, 2018
Many seats, however, seemed to have remained empty
The events today were moved from the Convention Center Hall into the Municipal Auditorium which accommodates 7,000. Doors are now closed and there are many empty seats on the balconies and toward the back. pic.twitter.com/FPFWvhFMtM
— Sophia Tulp (@sophia_tulp) July 24, 2018
Law, the VFW spokesperson, said about 4,000 people attended the speech, and that moving Trump to the smaller auditorium was a White House decision.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/briannasacks/veterans-foreign-wars-trump-press-attack
