GO TRUMP GO ..... I LIKE CHEESESTEAKS TOO

Trump vows to 'liberate our children from Marxist lunatics and perverts who have infested our educational system' at Moms for Liberty summit in Philly - before paying a visit to iconic Pat's cheesesteaks

 

By Stephen M. Lepore

 

Daily Mail

June 30, 2023

 

During his remarks, Trump praised Moms for Liberty as 'joyful warriors' as he headlined their annual conference Friday 

 

Former President Donald Trump made an impassioned promise to his supporters at the Moms for Liberty summit in Philadelphia on Friday night in which he vowed to 'liberate our children from the Marxist lunatics and perverts who have infested our educational system.' 

Trump went on to promise to cut funding for programs that he deemed to be 'pushing critical race theory, transgender, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content' if he were elected again in 2024. 

At one point Trump remarked: 'Don't mess with America's moms. Out beloved nation is teetering on the edge of tyranny.'

The ex-president added that would leave education decisions to be made by states because of 'radical left socialism' and that his Department of Justice would investigated violations of his policies. 

'Instead of taking their children to church, they believe in taking children to drag shows. Instead of teaching them to say their prayers, they teach them to recite their pronouns,' he said. 

Trump later stopped off at Pat's King of Steaks in Philadelphia after his address at the 'Moms for Liberty' event where according to reports, he signed at least one copy of his bestselling book The Art of the Deal for a police supervisor. 

During his remarks, Trump praised Moms for Liberty as 'joyful warriors' as he headlined their annual conference Friday and criticized what he called an unfair depiction of the group. 

'But Moms for Liberty is no hate group,' he said. 'You are joyful warriors, you are fierce, fierce patriots. You´re not a threat to America. You´re the best thing that´s ever happened to America.'

'Joe Biden and the Democrat communists are the threat to America. And together, we are going to throw them out of office on Election Day of 2024,' the former Apprentice host added. 

Trump went on to pledge to enforce the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action while also touting his appointments of Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett during the stump address and bragging about their recent decisions. 

 'You know, many presidents never get the opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court justice. I had three, they are gold! [Democrats] are not happy about that,' Trump said of his justice appointments.  

'And maybe we'll three or four more. Let's have seven or eight or maybe even nine.'

It's unclear if Trump - running for the Republican nomination again in 2024 - meant he wanted to expand the Supreme Court or merely make it so that all of the justices could be appointed by him. 

Republicans have often criticized Democrats for trying to expand the court or alter the way in which justices are appointed in the wake of decisions they have derided, including the affirmative action one and others that have ended Roe vs. Wade and set back LGBTQ+ rights.

Trump previously praised the affirmative action decision on Truth Social Thursday. 

'This is a great day for America,' he wrote. 'People with extraordinary ability and everything else necessary for success, including future greatness for our Country, are finally being rewarded. This is the ruling everyone was waiting and hoping for and the result was amazing.' 

'It will also keep us competitive with the rest of the world. Our greatest minds must be cherished and that’s what this wonderful day has brought. We’re going back to all merit-based - and that’s the way it should be!'

Pat's is one of the two major infamous cheesesteak eateries in the City of Brotherly Love, in an eternal rivalry with nearby Geno's. 

Moms for Liberty was founded during the pandemic by Florida mothers concerned about the direction of their children's education.

It has since expanded to numerous chapters across the country, including in Pennsylvania, seen as a key state for Trump to flip back in his column in 2024. 

 

Former President Donald Trump visits Pat's King of Steaks in Philadelphia 

Pat's is one of the two major infamous cheesesteak eateries in the City of Brotherly Love, in an eternal rivalry with nearby Geno's

 

The two-year-old group, which was founded in Florida in 2021 to fight local COVID school mask mandates and quarantine requirements, has quickly become a force in conservative politics as an advocate for 'parental rights.' 

But it has also been accused of preaching hate, with the Southern Poverty Law Center recently labeling it an 'extremist' group for allegedly harassing community members, advancing anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation and fighting to scrub diverse and inclusive material from lesson plans.

The conference, being held at a downtown Philadelphia hotel, has nonetheless drawn leading Republican presidential candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running second to Trump and kicked off the gathering by casting 2024 as the year that parents 'finally fight back.'

DeSantis praised the group for 'coming under attack by the left,' saying it was 'a sign that we are winning this fight.' 

He ran through his efforts in Florida to ban discussions of race and sexual identity in classrooms as well as certain books from school libraries. And he pledged to 'fight the woke' as president.

'I think what we´ve seen across this country in recent years has awakened the most powerful political force in the country: Mama bears. And they´re ready to roll,' he said, predicting moms would be 'the key political force for this 2024 cycle.'

'2024 is going to be the year when the parents across the country finally fight back,' he said.

The Southern Poverty Law Center added the organization, among others, to their 'Hate Map' as part of the release of their 'Year In Hate and Extremism 2022' report. 

It has attracted national media attention for its efforts fighting COVID restrictions in schools and limiting discussions about race, sexuality, and gender in elementary school classrooms.

According to the organization's mission statement, Moms for Liberty was founded in 2021 to 'unify, educate and empower parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.' 

 

Trump was touting his appointments of Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett during the stump address and bragging about their recent decisions, including the one ending affirmative action at American universities, when he said he hoped he could appoint even if he wins in 2024

It's unclear if Trump - running for the Republican nomination again in 2024 - meant he wanted to expand the Supreme Court or merely make it so that all of the justices could be appointed by him

The conference, being held at a downtown Philadelphia hotel, has nonetheless drawn leading Republican presidential candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis , who is running second to Trump and kicked off the gathering by casting 2024 as the year that parents 'finally fight back'

 

Despite opposition from groups like the SPLC, Justice said that she and her fellow Moms for Liberty are not discouraged and plan to keep up the energy.

'We are joyful warriors. We're not going to stop. I mean, no one's going to fight for anything like a parent's going to fight for their child. And, you know, we are moms and dads that are concerned about the future of the country,' she said.

The SPLC report said: 'Moms for Liberty activities make it clear that the group's primary goals are to fuel right-wing hysteria and to make the world a less comfortable or safe place for certain students – primarily those who are Black, LGBTQ or who come from LGBTQ families.'

President and CEO of the SPLC and SPLC Action Fund, Margaret Huang, claimed the goal of the report is to take 'the most hateful factions in our country' and ultimately dismantle white supremacy.

We are exposing a concerted effort by hate groups and extremist actors to terrorize communities and gain control of public institutions by any means necessary.

'These groups are descending on Main Street America and disrupting people's daily lives, too often with dire consequences for communities of color, Jewish people, and the LGBTQ+ community.'

Justice and fellow Moms of Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich blasted the decision to label their organization a 'hate group'

'Two-thirds of Americans think the public education system is on the wrong track today. That is why our organization is devoted to empowering parents to be a part of their child's public school education,' they said in a statement to Fox News.

 

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Moms for Liberty meeting in Philadelphia

Trump accused the 'radical left' of 'slandering Moms for Liberty as a so-called hate group.'

 

'That is our fundamental goal, which began just two years ago when teacher's unions locked students out of schools during the pandemic.

'Empowering parents continues to be our mission today and that has fueled our organization's growth - like wildfire to now 45 states in the country.'

'We believe that parental rights do not stop at the classroom door and no amount of hate from groups like this is going to stop that.'

Moms for Liberty joins is one of 11 other right-wing parents rights' groups listed in the annual report.

Trump, too, accused the 'radical left' of 'slandering Moms for Liberty as a so-called hate group.'

'But Moms for Liberty is no hate group,' he said. 'You are joyful warriors, you are fierce, fierce patriots. You´re not a threat to America. You´re the best thing that´s ever happened to America.' 

'Joe Biden and the Democrat communists are the threat to America. And together, we are going to throw them out of office on Election Day of 2024.'

The high interest in the event among GOP hopefuls underscores the influence of Moms for Liberty, which has made connections with powerful GOP organizations, politicians and donors to become a major player in 2024. 

 

The high interest in the event among GOP hopefuls underscores the influence of Moms for Liberty, which has made connections with powerful GOP organizations, politicians and donors to become a major player in 2024

President Donald Trump speaks during the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors national summit at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown

 

The group has said it doesn't plan to endorse any presidential candidate in the primary election.

They have transformed from three Florida moms opposing COVID-19 mandates in 2021 to claiming 285 chapters across 45 states. 

Along the way, it has found a close ally in DeSantis, who was presented with a 'liberty sword' at the group's first annual meeting last year and has signed multiple bills that Moms for Liberty supported.

Beyond remarks from the candidates and other speakers, the summit will feature strategy sessions on such topics as 'protecting kids from gender ideology' and 'comprehensive sex education: sex ed or sexualization.'

Summit attendees said they liked what they were hearing so far.

'I love Moms for Liberty,' said Debbie McGinley, who is running for the school board in Methacton School District outside Philadelphia. 

As a parent of three kids who lost her business as a hairdresser during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said she appreciated that the group is 'fighting for our kids.'

Lucy Reyna, a treasurer for a local Moms for Liberty chapter in Indiana, said she traveled to the conference to learn more about the national organization.

 

The self-labeled 'parental rights' summit is bringing school board hopefuls from across the country where attendees will receive training and hear from Republican presidential candidates

Trump discussed his nominations for Supreme Court justices during the speech

 

'What am I a part of? I need to know those things,' Reyna said, adding that if the group leaned too partisan in one direction, it would make her reconsider her participation.

Outside, roughly 100 parent activists and LGBTQ+ advocates gathered to protest, citing the Southern Poverty Law Center´s designation of the group as an 'anti-government extremist' organization. 

They chanted, 'Not in our city' and 'Let's say gay' while holding signs that read, 'Hate is not patriotic' and 'Philly is the LGBTQest city.'

Some protesters said specific incidents prompted their activism, including an Indiana Moms for Liberty chapter publishing an Adolf Hitler quote in its newsletter before apologizing and removing it, and a Tennessee chapter complaining about lessons on Black civil rights figures Martin Luther King Jr. and Ruby Bridges.

'I think they stand for fear. And that turns into hate very quickly,' said Molly Roses, a Philadelphia resident who joined the protest.

In the days before the conference, several historical associations, state senators, activists and employees at Philadelphia's Museum of the American Revolution had pleaded unsuccessfully with the museum to cancel a welcome event for the conference Thursday night. The event went on as planned.