Name: Boys Scouts of America.

Age: 11 to 18.

Appearance: Lots of children in a field.

What do they do? Tie knots, pledge stuff, listen to meandering political speeches.

Really? Isn’t it taboo to preach politics to children? Yes, although I think it’s fair to say that President Trump is not worried about taboos.

Him again. He has a knack for getting in the news. Well, he is president of the US these days, remember. Anyway, in a speech to the Boy Scouts of America’s jamboree in West Virginia on 24 July, he said he wouldn’t talk about politics, then went slightly off script.

I would be surprised if he hadn’t. What did he say? The highlights include Washington DC being not a swamp but a “cesspool”; the media lying about his inauguration crowd and his popularity; fake news; Hillary Clinton’s bad campaigning; and how the Republican party will repeal and replace Obamacare.

I see. All the hits. Yup. Plus some new numbers he has been working on, such as a story about the real estate developer William Levitt making and losing his fortune and how, “under the Trump administration, you’ll be saying Merry Christmas again when you go shopping”.

What, all year round? He didn’t specify. Perhaps.

And what did the children make of this? They loved it – or at least some of them did. There were cheers and laughter in all the right places, chants of: “We love Trump!” and a healthy: “Boo!” when he mentioned Clinton.

Is that what the BSA is all about? Well, it’s not supposed to be. Staff were told beforehand to keep things friendly and that “chants of certain phrases heard during the campaign (eg “build the wall”, “lock her up”) are considered divisive by many members of our audience and may cause unnecessary friction between individuals and units”.

Yeah. Not sure that went to plan. Perhaps it’s not a massive surprise. The BSA bans atheists and agnostics from its movement and only allowed gay scouts in 2014 and gay leaders in 2015, which is why President Obama never attended one of its jamborees.

Sad! I suppose.

Do say: “A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent …”

Don’t say: “… to Russian lawyers.”