One of the things I’ve noticed almost since day one of President Trump’s tenure is how regularly he expresses his appreciation and love for first responders everywhere.
I think my first recollection of his respect and concern for our military (which has since become a standing hallmark of his attitude) was when he retrieved the young Marine’s cover when it blew off from the downwash of the presidential helicopter, Marine One.
President Trump tried to help a Marine get his hat back on when it was blown away, but it proved to be a bit trickyhttps://t.co/uTab1SCayP pic.twitter.com/AwvEmnIB2s
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 9, 2017
Never mind that it blew off again, the gesture was certainly unexpected. It has turned out to be one of many instances in which he surprised military personnel, such as his clandestine surprise Thanksgiving day trip last month to meet with soldiers overseas in Afghanistan.
Contrast that to the breach in Marine Corps umbrella protocol exhibited by President Obama during a press conference when he stood sheltered while the Marine next to him stood next to him in the rain and served as his umbrella rack.
The look on that Marine’s face is priceless!
However, in keeping with his pattern of surprises, on Friday, President Trump wrote a Christmas letter to “the extraordinary men and women of the United States military,” when he told them that he had secured for them an “unprecedented” Christmas gift: another pay raise.
In a characteristic Twitter post, he included a copy of the letter in which he wrote,
“Starting January 1, 2020, each service member will see their PAY INCREASE by 3.1 percent — the largest raise for our Military in more than 10 years.”
“While previous administrations allowed Military pay to stagnate, my Administration has secured pay raises for our Troops in each of the past 3 years — every year of my Presidency. This is unprecedented. I want to thank each of you for your distinguished service this past year, and I am excited about what we will achieve working together for the American people in 2020.”
And,
“May God bless you and your family this holiday season. May God bless our Military. And may God continue to bless the United States of America.”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1208220823137505280
