https://twitter.com/toddstarnes/status/1146915957308309504
FoxNews.com reports that
With the Lincoln Memorial in the background and flanked on both sides by camouflaged Bradley fighting vehicles, President Trump used his “Salute to America” speech Thursday evening to praise the men and women of the Armed Forces and American exceptionalism.
Despite concerns that he would use the Fourth of July event as a glorified campaign rally, Trump stuck mainly to the script during his speech – praising the spirit that “runs through the veins of every American patriot” and attempting to strike a more unifying and conciliatory tone than he is generally known to take.
“Today, we come together as one nation with this very special Salute to America,” a smiling Trump said. “We celebrate our history, our people, and the heroes who proudly defend our flag — the brave men and women of the United States military.”
From George Washington leading the Continental Army to the Apollo 11 moon landing, Trump rattled off a list of American accomplishments and inventions in the name of freedom, while surreptitiously sneaking in a boast about his administration’s accomplishments.
“Americans love our freedom and no one will ever take it away from us,” Trump said to chants of “U-S-A.” “Our nation is stronger today than it ever was before, it is stronger now stronger than ever.”
Trump followed his speech with an individual honor to each branch of the U.S. military — Coast Guard, Navy, Army, Air Force and Marines.
Despite the cloudy skies, Trump’s speech was punctuated by flyovers by military aircraft ranging from the Air Forces F-22 Raptors and B-2 Stealth Bomber to the Navy’s F-18 Super Hornets and Army Apache helicopters.
“Today, just as it did 243 years ago, the future of American Freedom rests on the shoulders of men and women willing to defend it,” Trump said. “As long as we stay true to our cause — as long as we remember our great history — and as long as we never stop fighting for a better future—then there will be nothing that America cannot do.”
“We will never forget that we are Americans, and the future belongs to us,” he said. “We share one home, one heart and we are all made by one almighty God.”
Trump’s speech was capped off with a performance by the Navy Blue Angels flight team.
While Trump’s speech set a unifying tone, the lead-up to the event was far from pacific – with Trump’s opponents slamming him on everything from the cost of the event to the perceived exploitation of the holiday for a political purpose.
Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., who is among the lawmakers overseeing the Interior Department, which has jurisdiction over the National Mall and federal parks, said it was “absolutely outrageous” that the administration will use park money to help defray Thursday’s event costs. The National Park Service plans to use nearly $2.5 million intended to help improve parks nationwide, The Washington Post reported late Tuesday, citing anonymous sources.
“These fees are not a slush fund for this administration to use at will,” McCollum said in a statement. She promised a congressional hearing.
Two outside groups, the National Parks Conservation Foundation and Democracy Forward, want the department’s internal watchdog to investigate what they say may be a “potentially unlawful decision to divert” national parks money to Trump’s “spectacle.”
Former high-ranking members of the Armed Forces also weighed on Trump’s celebration, with retired U.S. Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey – a frequent critic of the president – calling the “Salute to America” “narcissistic” and that it will set up “another vile political fight.”
“He’s turning it into a “narcissistic display for his own purpose,” McCaffrey said on MSNBC on Wednesday. “It undoubtedly is a political event which makes everyone uneasy in the Pentagon.”
Trump defended the cost of the event on Wednesday, tweeting that cost “will be very little compared to what it is worth.”
“We own the planes, we have the pilots, the airport is right next door (Andrews), all we need is the fuel,” he said, referring to Maryland’s Joint Base Andrews, home for some of the planes that are to fly over the Mall on Thursday. “We own the tanks and all. Fireworks are donated by two of the greats.”
Washington has held an Independence Day celebration for decades, featuring a parade along Constitution Avenue, a concert on the Capitol lawn with music by the National Symphony Orchestra and fireworks beginning at dusk near the Washington Monument.
Trump altered the lineup by adding his speech, moving the fireworks closer to the Lincoln Memorial and summoning the tanks and warplanes.
Yesterday afternoon, a bunch of “useful idiots” (as the real Communists have always called those who have fallen under their spell and have bought in to their Marxist B.S.) burned a couple of American Flags out in front of the White House
Like the rest of the “miserables” in the Far Left Democratic Party, they are not only useful idiots, they are ungrateful ones as well.
Thank God they represent a minority in this country.
Why are the majority of Americans so optimistic about the direction of our Sovereign Nation?
Perhaps it’s because, after Inauguration Day 2017, the Washington Status Quo no longer applies to the man who is the President of our Sovereign Country.
There has been no racially-divisive rhetoric coming out of the Oval Office, no allusions to the Marxism Axioms revolving around Class Warfare, no self-deification, such as
“This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.”
By the way, how did that “Hope and Change” work out for ya?
But, I digress…
Instead, the Oval Office is occupied by a man who genuinely LOVES America and her people, instead of viewing us all as racist, misogynist, xenophobes.
And, therein lies the secret of Donald J. Trump’s success as President.
What Trump did, with his refusal early in his campaign to “act more presidential”, was to implement a strategy.
Trump has always been a “people person”.
That is the reason that, when he was still a contributor to Fox News, he would speak to everyone in the building, from the maintenance crew, on up the ladder.
As Sam Walton, the Founder of Walmart, knew, you don’t inspire people by acting imperious and above it all.
“Mr. Sam”, until his health would no longer allow him to do so, would travel to Walmart Stores in his old pickup truck, with a tie and a baseball cap on, visiting the employees, in order to find out how his stores were doing.
He knew that the only way to be successful and to stay in touch with the public, was to be out among them, and speak to them honestly and directly, as one would speak to a friend.
Just as President Trump has accomplished by his MAGA Rallies and his Daily Tweets to the American People.
The Political Establishment, of both parties, lost that concept, a long time ago.
Bypassing the borders to communication, historically determined by both political parties and the Main Stream Media, is a concept which I first witnessed being employed by a Presidential Candidate in the 1980 Presidential Election, named Ronald Wilson Reagan.
While I am not comparing the two, I am noting that this strategy has proved effective for both men.
As the polls have shown, Trump struck a resonant chord in the hearts of Average Americans, living here in the part of America, which the snobbish Political Elites refer to as “Flyover Country”, but which we refer to as “America’s Heartland”, or, quite simply, “HOME”.
Why does President Donald J. Trump remain so popular with average Americans?
The reason is very simple: WE WERE ANGRY AND WE FELT THAT NO ONE IN WASHINGTON, D.C.WAS LISTENING TO US.
Our palpable anger was one which had been building since January of 2009, when a Lightweight, who has as much in common with average Americans as a Martian would, was inaugurated as President of the United States of America.
That anger, a result of his anti-American actions and resulting policies, which so badly affected Americans’ daily lives, was then exacerbated by the Republican Elite, who, in their desire to “reach across the aisle” and “go along to get along”, intentionally distanced themselves from those who elected them to Congress in the first place.
Meanwhile, average Americans, like you and me, remained mired up to our necks in an abysmal swamp of bills and taxes, living paycheck-to-paycheck, afraid to make a move, for fearing of drowning in an ocean of debt.
Seemingly forgotten, in all of the forgotten promises, made by Barack Hussein Obama, were the over-94 million Americans, who were no longer, largely through no fault of their own, participating in our Workforce.
You want to talk about anger and frustration?
Try looking for work, when you are over 55 years of age.
Anger has played an important part in the forging of this great country.
It was anger that formed our country….an anger over being held captive to “Taxation Without Representation”…an anger which, as a prime example of history repeating itself, led Americans to choose a Citizen Statesman for their next President over a Professional Politician.
It is this anger, which also propelled Donald J. Trump to his victory in the Republican Primary Race…and those who prefer the Washingtonian Status Quo knew it.
That is why the Republican Establishment, at least some of them, wound up hitching a ride on “The Trump Train”.
If they had not accepted the reality of his Primary Victory, and the fact that Americans are angry, they would have gone down to defeat again in 2016.
They would have never achieved victory by once again trying to push the Jello of “Liberal Moderation” up a hill.
Hence, the failed campaign of Jeb! Bush.
In summation, the American people were tired of Political Correctness and anti-American political expediencies being forced down our throats by both political parties and trumpeted by their lackeys in the Main Stream Media.
Donald Trump, for all of his brashness and braggadocio, was a breath of free air and, quite frankly an anomaly. He’s not a professional politician. He is a businessman who wanted to become a public servant.
And, the American People have gave him the opportunity of a lifetime.
And, so far, through what he has accomplished through his remarkable economic and diplomatic victories since he was inaugurated, he has demonstrated that he is up to the challenge.
A quote attributed to Helen Keller states that
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
Ms. Keller predicted America under the presidency of Donald J. Trump, didn’t she?
KEEP AMERICA GREAT!
TRUMP/PENCE 2020
Until He Comes,
KJ
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