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Parents railed against the Boy Scouts of America after Trump's campaign-style speech

trump boy scout
trump boy scout

(President Donald Trump speaking at the National Boy Scout Jamboree in West Virginia.Steve Helber/AP)

Parents are indicating their displeasure with the Boy Scouts of America after President Donald Trump gave a campaign-style speech on Monday to a group of young scouts after promising he wouldn't speak about politics.

Some parents vented on Twitter, calling Trump's comments to the crowd of mostly teenage boys at the National Boy Scout Jamboree in West Virginia inappropriate.

While Trump at times encouraged the scouts to follow their dreams and work hard, he frequently fell back on his campaign-rally-style rhetoric, which included attacks on journalists and media outlets.

When Trump said he would "kill" Obamacare, the healthcare law officially called the Affordable Care Act, scouts in the audience began chanting "U-S-A."

When Trump asked the crowd whether President Barack Obama, who was a Boy Scout, had ever attended the Jamboree, they booed, while Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, standing behind Trump on stage, laughed and clapped.

Obama addressed the Jamboree via video in 2010 for the organization's 100th anniversary.

Trump leaned further into his campaign posture at the Jamboree, saying that "under the Trump administration, you will be saying 'Merry Christmas' again," a declaration he routinely made on the campaign trail. The president also railed against his general-election rival, Hillary Clinton, eliciting more jeers from the crowd.

Parents and others appeared to be outraged by Trump's speech.

After being involved with the Boy Scouts for years, this person said they "would never want to be associated" with the organization.

One Twitter user said she would contact her district's Boy Scout troop representatives.

This parent wasn't happy with Trump's standing by while the boys booed Clinton.

One parent said they were happy their son was at camp instead and that they were horrified at what happened at the Jamboree.

One father indicated he was not surprised by Trump's rhetoric and said he had a "rotten experience" with Boy Scouts, adding that he wouldn't allow his son to be involved.

This man said he was a former senior patrol leader for the Boy Scouts and wouldn't let his son join now.

Some parents expressed concern about their sons being "indoctrinated" at Boy Scouts events.

Parents were also "horrified" to see their sons' hard-earned achievements be "politicized."

One parent said they would be withdrawing their son over the "disgusting" Trump speech.

However, some parents said their sons had great experiences as Boy Scouts.

Parents seemed to agree that Trump's speech crossed a line.

In an emailed statement to Business Insider, the Boy Scouts of America said:

"The Boy Scouts of America is wholly nonpartisan and does not promote any one position, product, service, political candidate, or philosophy. The invitation for the sitting US president to visit the National Jamboree is a long-standing tradition and is in no way an endorsement of any political party or specific policies. The sitting US president serves as the BSA's honorary president. It is our long-standing custom to invite the US president to the National Jamboree."

The organization did not immediately respond to follow-up questions about Trump's remarks at the Monday rally.

Here's the full speech:

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