Other than the easily triggered anti-Trump cabal, who could possible oppose making America’s aircrew great again?
A photo tweeted by Wall Street Journal White House reporter Vivian Salama has the president’s critics in an uproar.
President Trump visited the USS WASP on Monday in Japan and the photo depicts several members of the crew wearing red “Make Aircrew Great Again” patches that came complete with the president’s likeness.
“Airmen onboard the USS WASP wearing patches on their jumpsuits that read ‘Make Aircrew Great Again,'” Salama tweeted. “The patches include an image in the center in the likeness of President Trump.”
Airmen onboard the USS WASP wearing patches on their jumpsuits that read “Make Aircrew Great Again.” The patches include an image in the center in the likeness of President Trump. pic.twitter.com/rQKAyrcDte
— Vivian Salama (@vmsalama) May 28, 2019
Here’s a closer view of the patch:
Some of the sailors aboard the WASP where Trump is now speaking are wearing this patch pic.twitter.com/07LZojqnYH
— Noah Bierman (@Noahbierman) May 28, 2019
Turns out, amid the meltdown now underway, the patches that borrow from Trump’s iconic campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” have been around for awhile.
A September 2017 tweet from the Department of Defense Twitter account captured a crewman wearing the “Make Aircrew Great Again” patch.
A @USNavy #sailor, attached to the amphibious assault 🚢 #USSWasp, prepares a family for evacuation following #HurricaneMaria in #Dominica. pic.twitter.com/9W611FbrmP
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) September 27, 2017
But no uproar then.
Or when the patch was seen in Stars and Stripes in July 2018, as “feminist” National Observer reporter Caroline Orr shared.
I had to check to make sure this was real. Verdict: Yes, these airmen really are wearing patches that say "Make Aircrew Great Again" with an image depicting Trump in the center.
(DoD tweeted a pic of the same patch in Sept 2017; Stars & Stripes posted a pic of it in July 2018). pic.twitter.com/vxDJmi6Ijp
— Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D (@RVAwonk) May 28, 2019
On an aside, campaign officials said recently that President Trump will stay with the 2016 MAGA slogan for his 2020 re-election effort, after some speculation about other options like “Keep America Great.”
“It’s a cultural icon,” said Erin Perrine, deputy communications director for Trump 2020, according to the Washington Examiner. “The red hat is a cultural icon. People might not like the cultural icon all the time — because there are plenty of videos of people being physically assaulted for wearing the hat, but it’s a cultural icon.”
Some people aren’t thrilled with the “Make Aircrew Great Again” variation either, but lost in the mix is that the troops are showing support for their commander in chief.
Watch Democrats move to punish troops for supporting their Commander in Chief. https://t.co/Z22gn2N3et
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) May 28, 2019
As for the aforementioned meltdown, behold…
Has this been reported? Air Force Instruction 51-902. “Airmen can not wear political buttons on their uniform at any time, nor can one wear a bracelet while in uniform that espouses a certain creed or motto, with the exception of the POW bracelet.”
— pravalgi (@pravalgi) May 28, 2019
This is a frightening reflection of our nation’s descent into authoritarianism.https://t.co/rtoiXR9TBc
— Caroline Orr (@RVAwonk) May 28, 2019
The next step is to see if these patches are official. If they aren’t, they are in violation of the UCMJ. If they are, then they HAVE to wear them, and whoever mandated it is in violation of the UCMJ for taking a political stance.
— Machine Pun Kelly (@KellyScaletta) May 28, 2019
Creeping authoritarianism https://t.co/gDRjeahlzx
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 28, 2019
This is Fascism and a clear violation of the UCMJ. Do they have armbands, too? Who ordered this? https://t.co/OFRJoEeBjH
— Claude Taylor (@TrueFactsStated) May 28, 2019
Speaking as a Chief: @SECNAV @CNORichardson @NavyMCPON That unauthorized “novelty” needs to be secured RIGHT HERE!! RIGHT NOW!! Secure it before 60% of the country thinks our beloved @USNavy serves a man & not the Constitution! #Defornicate this. Get it off those uniforms NOW! https://t.co/2SDmtCGZtX
— Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) May 28, 2019
I guess we're just mixing political campaigns and the active duty military now ¯_(ツ)_/¯ https://t.co/ZTknieyxBA
— Brandon Friedman (@BFriedmanDC) May 28, 2019
Made in China no doubt
— rich (@farty) May 28, 2019
Amid all the hyperventilation, a social media user did offer a possible explanation for the patches.
“I want to provide some context if I can,” he tweeted. “Almost every unit has a Friday patch. These are almost always heritage or humor. I’d put money on the intent being humor. Poorly conceived, but humor.”
Hi @RVAwonk, I want to provide some context if I can. Almost every unit has a Friday patch. These are almost always heritage or humor. I’d put money on the intent being humor. Poorly conceived, but humor. I’ve been in 15 years and am happy to share stories on the subject. ?
— StevefromSC (@stevefromSC) May 28, 2019
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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