U.S. President Donald Trump proclaimed his 2016 election victory, his dislike of Obamacare, Hillary Clinton and “fake news” to an unlikely audience.
Trump addressed thousands of Boy Scouts at their annual jamboree in a rally-style speech in West Virginia Monday night.
More than 40,000 Scouts, leaders and volunteers were at the 10-day event, typically held every four years.
Despite a promise at the beginning of the speech, where Trump asked: “who the hell wants to speak about politics when I’m in front of the Boy Scouts?” Trump’s speech touched on exactly that.
Along with talking about the 2016 election and his victory over Hillary Clinton in the Electoral College (he said the popular vote is much easier to win,) he also lambasted former president Barrack Obama.
“By the way, just a question. Did President Obama ever come to a jamboree?” Trump asked the Boy Scouts.
The crowd booed the former president, who is also a former Boy Scout.
“The answer is no, but we’ll be back,” Trump finished, while the crowd cheered for him.
While Obama did not attend during his two terms, he did address the 100th-anniversary event in 2010 by video.
Each U.S. president serves as honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America. Trump is the eighth president to attend the National Scout Jamboree, the organization says. He is also the first sitting president to address the Scouts.
As well as talking about the former president, he also — perhaps jokingly — threatened to fire Health Secretary Tom Price if a crucial vote to repeal “Obamacare”‘ fails.
Trump said that Price, who was on stage with him, “better get” the votes to begin debate on the legislation Tuesday.
“Otherwise,” Trump tells the crowd, “I’ll say: Tom, you’re fired.”
WATCH: Trump threatens Republicans who won’t support his healthcare bill
It’s unclear whether the president was serious or joking.
Trump has been urging Republicans to support an effort to repeal and replace former president Barack Obama’s health-care law, which he calls a “nightmare.”
Officials from the Boy Scouts of America defended the decision to have Trump speak in a statement to Buzzfeed News reporter Michelle B. Van Dyke.
“The boy scouts of America is wholly non-partisan and does not promote any one position, product, service, political candidate or philosophy. The invitation for the sitting U.S. President to visit the National Jamboree is a long-standing tradition and is in no way an endorsement of any political party of specific policies.
“The sitting U.S. President serves and the BSA’s honorary president. It is our long standing custom to invite the U.S. President to the National Jamboree.”
*with files from the Associated Press
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