Boy Scouts CEO Apologizes For Trump Speech At Jamboree

Amid widespread outcry over a speech by President Donald Trump that seemed more suited for the campaign trail than the gathering of 40,000 Boy Scouts, the organization's head apologized Thursday for allowing “political rhetoric to be inserted” in the National Scout Jamboree in West Virginia. Parents, former Scouts and Scouting leaders said the president's Monday speech turned a gathering intended to transcend partisan divides into a political free-for-all.

“I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree,” Boy Scouts of America CEO Michael Surbaugh said in a statement. “That was never our intent.”

Watch: Boy Scouts Apologize For Trump's Politically Charged Jamboree Speech

Inviting the sitting U.S. president to the National Jamboree has been a Scouting tradition since 1937 “but is no way an endorsement of any person, party or policies,” Surbaugh said. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

One of the founding tenets of the Boy Scouts of America organization is that its mission for service is above partisan politics. Surbaugh said people have “called upon us to take a position on political issues, and we have steadfastly remained non-partisan and refused to comment on political matters.”

“We sincerely regret that politics were inserted into the Scouting program,” he wrote.

The rally-style speech overshadowed the character-building activities that took place at the Jamboree, he said.

“These character-building experiences have not diminished in recent days at the jamboree – Scouts have continued to trade patches, climb rock walls and share stories about the day’s adventures,” he wrote. “But for our Scouting family at home not able to see these real moments of Scouting, we know the past few days have been overshadowed by the remarks offered by the President of the United States.”

Read the full statement here.

Scouts frequently cheered “USA! USA! USA!” during Trump's meandering, 38-minute speech that railed against the “fake news” media, perceived slights to his administration and what he called a “cesspool” atmosphere on Capitol Hill. The Scouts booed when he mentioned his Democratic presidential opponent, Hillary Clinton, and former President Barack Obama.

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