--- title: Donald Trump: Boy Scouts 'Unaware' of Call Trump Claimed description: The Boy Scouts told TIME they are unaware of any call from national leadership placed to the White House canonical: https://time.com/4883422/donald-trump-boy-scouts-wall-street-journal-transcript/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-01T23:41:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T05:08:29.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Boy Scouts 'Unaware' of Call Trump Said He Received From Organization Praising Jamboree Speech og:description: Boy Scouts speech was 'the greatest ever made to them' og:url: https://time.com/4883422/donald-trump-boy-scouts-wall-street-journal-transcript/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7637222454220482/6988d7624ee262cfc530e551/trump-attacks-sow-chaos-washington.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: trump-attacks-sow-chaos-washington og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Boy Scouts 'Unaware' of Call Trump Said He Received From Organization Praising Jamboree Speech twitter:description: Boy Scouts speech was 'the greatest ever made to them' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7637222454220482/6988d7624ee262cfc530e551/trump-attacks-sow-chaos-washington.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Boy Scouts 'Unaware' of Call Trump Said He Received From Organization Praising Jamboree Speech > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Updated: Dec 13, 2023 5:08 AM UTCPublished: Aug 1, 2017 11:41 PM UTC  Trump broke custom by delivering a political speech to the Boy Scouts’ national jamboree in Glen Jean, W.Va. Trump broke custom by delivering a political speech to the Boy Scouts’ national jamboree in Glen Jean, W.Va. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Updated: Dec 13, 2023 5:08 AM UTCPublished: Aug 1, 2017 11:41 PM UTC President Donald Trump told the _Wall Street Journal_ that after his controversial speech at the Boy Scouts National Jamboree in West Virginia, the head of the Boy Scouts called him and told him it was “the greatest speech that was ever made to them.” But the organization told _TIME_ they are unaware of any call from national leadership placed to the White House. “The Chief Scout Executive’s message to the Scouting community speaks for itself,” the organization said, referring to a[ July 27 statement from Michael Surbaugh](http://time.com/4876705/donald-trump-boy-scout-jamboree-speech/), the Chief Scout Executive for the Boy Scouts of America, who apologized to anyone in the scouting community who could have been offended or alarmed by the political rhetoric in the speech. “For years, 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,” Surbaugh wrote. The President also told the paper he did not find his politicized speech to the Boy Scouts last month to be controversial, despite Surbaugh’s apology. “They loved it,” the President told the Wall Street _Journal,_ according to a transcript of the interview obtained and [published by](http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/01/trump-wall-street-journal-interview-full-transcript-241214) Politico_._ In the transcript, the President is responding to claims from the paper’s reporters that the reaction to his speech was “mixed.” “I’d be the first to admit mixed. I’m a guy that will tell you mixed,” Trump responded. “There was no mix there. That was a standing ovation from the time I walked out to the time I left, and for five minutes after I had already gone. There was no mix.” During his July 24 speech, the President [bragged about his election victory,](http://time.com/4871947/donald-trump-boy-scout-jamboree/) slamming his former opponent Hillary Clinton as well his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, and repeatedly decrying the media for what he deemed unfair coverage. The interview with the _Journal_ took place July 25, but the paper only [released excerpts](https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2017/07/25/donald-trumps-interview-with-the-wall-street-journal-edited-transcript/) rather than a full transcript. 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