In the first year of his first term, Donald Trump addressed the Boy Scouts of America National Scout Jamboree, and in the absence of any impulse control, the president treated the children’s gathering like a campaign rally. Soon after, the head of the Boy Scouts issued a public apology for Trump’s inappropriate behavior.
The president, undeterred, told The Wall Street Journal, “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.” Perhaps the president was hearing voices, because the organization made clear that the president simply made it up out of whole cloth.
In Trump’s second term, his team is still focused on the Scouts, though in ways that are less fictional. The Washington Post reported:
The Pentagon issued a warning late Monday to Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts, saying the organization risks losing its long-standing partnership with the U.S. military unless it rapidly implements ‘core value reforms.’
The public warning, delivered on social media by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, comes just months before thousands of Scouts are expected in West Virginia for National Jamboree, a once-every-four-years camping summit that relies on hundreds of National Guard and active-duty service members for medical, security and logistical support. A sudden loss of that support could jeopardize the youth gathering.
During Pete Hegseth’s tenure, the beleaguered Pentagon chief has invested a considerable amount of time and energy in library books. And paintings. And scrubbing Defense Department websites of articles and images of figures like Jackie Robinson and the Navajo code talkers. And renaming Navy ships. And leading a Christian prayer service in the Pentagon’s auditorium. And amplifying videos about denying women the right to vote. And creating new grooming standards.
But his culture war crusade has expanded to include Scouting America. In November, the former Fox News host suggested he was prepared to cut all ties between the Defense Department and the organization — a move that generated bipartisan pushback — and almost three months later, the Pentagon is now demanding that Scouting America meet undisclosed demands to make Hegseth happy.
“If Scouting America does not comply with Hegseth’s demands, which have not been made public,” the Post reported, “the group could also lose its access to military facilities — which would have a disproportionate impact on military children who participate in Scouting troops at U.S. bases overseas, people familiar with the matter said.” The Post’s report has not been independently verified by MS NOW.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, isn’t pleased.
“For more than a century, Scouting America has helped shape young Americans who are grounded in duty, leadership, and love of country,” Reed said in a statement. “The Scouts have provided one of the strongest pipelines into military and public service our nation has ever known.” “Secretary Hegseth’s notion that scouting is weakened because young women are given the chance to participate is shameful and false,” the Democratic senator added. “Every Scout still wears the same flag on their sleeve and lives out the same timeless values, ethics, and morals that have always defined the organization. Scouting America produces exactly the kind of young men and women we need. Any attempt to threaten or politicize that legacy over personal cultural grievances is misguided and undermines a partnership that has long benefitted military families, readiness, and national security. We should be strengthening institutions that prepare young Americans to serve, not using the weight of the Pentagon to wage ideological fights against them.” Time will tell what becomes of the unnecessary fight, but this year’s jamboree is scheduled for July. “They are on the clock,” the Pentagon’s Parnell wrote on social media, “and we are watching.” Watch this space.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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