CAMPAIGN/GOP/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VA: “President Donald Trump urged the audience before him on Tuesday [7-24-18] to support a Missouri Republican’s Senate campaign, smeared Democrats and warned the crowd not to ‘believe the crap you hear from (the media.)’ The speech amounted to a typical political stump speech for Trump, all except for the setting. Instead of a political rally draped in campaign signage, Trump was addressing the annual convention of the nonpartisan Veterans of Foreign Wars, which invites the sitting US president every year — regardless of party — to address its members. Past US presidents have typically focused their remarks at the annual veteran’s event on policy issues, leaving little room for partisan political attacks or political endorsements. President Barack Obama, though, in 2015 used his speech to take shots at Republicans over their budget proposal at the time. Politics were on Trump’s mind as he began his speech — which was welcomed with raucous cheers and at times boos aimed at the Democrats Trump attacked — by remarking that the roll call of ‘nay’ votes on his Veterans Affairs secretary’s confirmation amounted to a list of Democrats who will likely challenge him in 2020.”
-Jeremy Diamond, “Trump turns veterans address into political rally,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, July 24, 2018 2:57 pm