After Trump Injects Politics Into Speech, Boy Scouts Face Blowback.

President Trump addressed the Boy Scouts of America’s 2017 National Scout Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel National Scout Reserve in Glen Jean, W.Va., on Monday. Credit Doug Mills/The New York Times
A barrage of political remarks by President Trump delivered Monday to the Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree in West Virginia has enraged many parents and former Scouts, thrusting the Scouts once again into the middle of the nation’s culture wars and providing yet another example of the unusual and polarizing nature of the Trump presidency.
The Scouts, plainly sensing a new threat that supporters feared could undermine a movement still reeling from extended controversies over the appropriate role for gay boys and leaders in Scouting, said in a statement that the group was “wholly nonpartisan and does not promote any one position, product, service, political candidate or philosophy.” The organization added that its traditional speaking invitation to a sitting president was “in no way an endorsement of any political party or specific policies.”

It was far from clear whether the statement would curb the tide of skepticism, outrage and division that began even before Mr. Trump concluded his 38-minute address in Glen Jean, W.Va. Although Scouting offices were besieged with phone calls and some alumni were warning that they would withhold support for the group, others celebrated Mr. Trump’s speech.

Glenn Elvig, an artist in Minnesota, said he was angered by the president’s speech and believed its contents deviated from the organization’s stated values.

“I appreciate that the Scouts offer the invitation to the president of the United States,” said Mr. Elvig, who fondly recalled receiving a letter from President Nixon congratulating him on achieving the Eagle rank decades ago. “What I was angry about was that this president took it as an opportunity to criticize others, demean others and not really speak to the concerns of 12- to 17-year-old kids who are looking for direction in life.”

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Mr. Elvig said he had been calling the Boy Scouts office for hours on Tuesday to express his dismay, but had been getting a busy signal.

“I would like a public denouncement of what happened yesterday and reaffirmation of the values I think I learned in Scouts,” Mr. Elvig said. “If they can’t do that, I will be returning my medal.”