President Donald Trump used his appearance at the annual Army-Navy football game to pitch to the players an administration policy change that clears the way for athletes at the nation's military academies to play professional sports after they graduate and delay their active-duty service.
To cheers in each locker room before the 120th playing of the game, he said he was giving those athletes with pro potential the chance ``to make a fortune and after you're all finished with your professional career, you'll go and you'll serve and everybody's thrilled.''
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President Donald Trump used his appearance at the annual Army-Navy football game to pitch to the players an administration policy change that clears the way for athletes at the nation's military academies to play professional sports after they graduate and delay their active-duty service.
A memo signed in November by Defense Secretary Mark Esper spelled out the new guidelines. It said the athletes must get approval from the Pentagon chief and it requires them to eventually fulfill their military obligation or repay the costs of their education. The Obama administration put a policy in place allowing some athletes to go to the pros and defer their military service.
In 2016, Army snapped Navy’s 14-game winning streak and has won three years in a row. But the Midshipmen entered Saturday’s game as a significant favorite. At 9-2, they ranked 23rd in the nation while Army’s Black Knights had a 5-7 record.
Trump has closely linked himself to the military, promoting increases in defense spending and overseas triumphs such as the October killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria.
Trump also has drawn the ire of many in the Pentagon. He has clashed with military leadership on a number of fronts, including on pushes to withdraw some U.S. forces from the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula as well as his at times lackluster support for military alliances such as NATO. His first defense secretary, James Mattis, resigned last year over Trump’s decision to pull troops out from Syria.
Turning to Army's coach, Jeff Monken, the president joked, ``It probably gives the coach no reason to ever lose another game.''
President Donald Trump waits for the coin toss before the start of the Army-Navy college football game in Philadelphia, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019. (AP PhotoJacquelyn Martin)
A memo signed in November by Defense Secretary Mark Esper spelled out the new guidelines. It said the athletes must get approval from the Pentagon chief and it requires them to eventually fulfill their military obligation or repay the costs of their education. The Obama administration put a policy in place allowing some athletes to go to the pros and defer their military service.
In the Navy locker room, he congratulated the favored Midshipmen on ``a hell of a season,'' but added, ``You know, it's only a great season, you know it has to happen today, otherwise you wouldn't call it a great season. So you better go out there and play hard.''
With impeachment looming in Washington, Trump made the day trip to Philadelphia for the second year in a row for the storied game. Trump, who also went in 2016 as president-elect, is the 10th commander in chief to attend the contest.
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Army player Cole Christiansen in Philadelphia, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019, before the Army-Navy college football game. (AP PhotoJacquelyn Martin)
In 2016, Army snapped Navy’s 14-game winning streak and has won three years in a row. But the Midshipmen entered Saturday’s game as a significant favorite. At 9-2, they ranked 23rd in the nation while Army’s Black Knights had a 5-7 record.
Trump was accompanied by Esper and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley. The president was on the field for the coin toss and planned to switch sides at halftime.
The crowd cheered as Trump walked off the field after the national anthem. He put on a Keep America Great hat.
President Donald Trump greets the Navy football team in Philadelphia, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019, before the Army-Navy college football game. (AP PhotoJacquelyn Martin)
Trump has closely linked himself to the military, promoting increases in defense spending and overseas triumphs such as the October killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria.
The game comes amid a renewed push by the White House to deliver moments that depict Trump governing — such as his visit to NATO in London last week and his successful lobbying for a new U.S.-Canada-Mexico trade deal — that it believes stands in stark contrast to the Democrats’ impeachment effort.
In the coming week, Trump is expected to become the third president impeached after the House votes on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
President Donald Trump stands for the Pledge of Allegiance before the start of the Army-Navy college football game in Philadelphia, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019. (AP PhotoJacquelyn Martin)
Trump also has drawn the ire of many in the Pentagon. He has clashed with military leadership on a number of fronts, including on pushes to withdraw some U.S. forces from the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula as well as his at times lackluster support for military alliances such as NATO. His first defense secretary, James Mattis, resigned last year over Trump’s decision to pull troops out from Syria.
Last month, Navy Secretary Richard Spencer was fired amid tensions between the Pentagon and the White House after Trump intervened to reverse sentences against three service members accused of committing war crimes.
Trump ignored Pentagon leaders who had told him such a move could damage the integrity of the military judicial system, the ability of military commanders to ensure good order and discipline, and the confidence of U.S. allies and partners who host U.S. troops.
President Donald Trump holds his hand over his heart for the Pledge of Allegiance before the start of the Army-Navy college football game in Philadelphia, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019. (AP PhotoJacquelyn Martin)
Among the other presidents to attend the Army-Navy game are Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Gerald Ford and John F. Kennedy.
NEW YORK (AP) — A full jury of 12 people and six alternates was seated Friday in Donald Trump’s hush money case, setting the stage for opening statements next week in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president.
The panel, which includes software engineers, an English teacher and multiple lawyers, took final shape after lawyers spent days quizzing dozens of potential jurors on whether they can impartially judge the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
The judge said lawyers will present opening statements Monday morning before prosecutors begin laying out their case alleging a scheme to cover up negative stories Trump feared would hurt his 2016 presidential campaign.
Just after the jury was seated, emergency crews responded to a park outside the Manhattan courthouse, where a person had set themselves on fire. People rushed over with a fire extinguisher and worked to bat out the flames before the person was taken away on a stretcher. The person's condition was not immediately known.
The trial will place Trump in a Manhattan courtroom for weeks, forcing him to juggle his dual role as criminal defendant and political candidate against the backdrop of his hotly contested race against President Joe Biden. It will feature salacious and unflattering testimony his opponent will no doubt seize on to try to paint him as unfit to return as commander in chief.
Trump has spent the week sitting quietly in the courtroom as lawyers press potential jurors on their views about him in a search for any bias that would preclude them from hearing the case. During breaks in the proceedings, he has lashed out against the allegations and the judge to cameras in the hallway, using his mounting legal problems as a political rallying cry to cast himself as a victim.
Over several days, dozens of members of the jury pool were dismissed after saying they don’t believe they can be fair. Others expressed anxiety about having to decide such a consequential case with outsized media attention. The judge has ruled that their names will be known only to prosecutors, Trump and their legal teams.
One woman who had been chosen to serve on the jury was dismissed Thursday after she raised concerns over messages she said she got from friends and family when aspects of her identity became public. On Friday, another woman broke down in tears while being questioned by a prosecutor about her ability to decide the case based only on evidence presented in court.
“I feel so nervous and anxious right now,” the woman said. “I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t want someone who feels like this to judge my case either. I don’t want to waste the court’s time.”
As more potential jurors were questioned Friday, Trump appeared to lean over at the defense table, scribbling on some papers and exchanging notes with one of his lawyers. He occasionally perked up and gazed at the jury box, including when one would-be juror said he had volunteered in a “get out the vote” effort for Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Another prospective juror got Trump’s attention when he mentioned that he follows the White House Instagram account, including when Trump was in office. Trump shot a grin at another man who was asked if he was married and joked that he had been trying to find a wife in his spare time, but “it’s not working.”
Trump spoke to reporters before Friday's proceedings got underway, railing against a gag order that prosecutors have accused him of violating. Judge Juan Merchan has scheduled arguments for next week on prosecutors' request to hold Trump in contempt of court and fine him for social media posts they say defy limits on what he can say about potential witnesses.
“The gag order has to come off. People are allowed to speak about me, and I have a gag order,” Trump said.
Merchan is also expected to hear arguments Friday on prosecutors' request to bring up Trump’s prior legal entanglements if he takes the witness stand in the hush money case. Manhattan prosecutors have said they want to question Trump about his recent civil fraud trial that resulted in a $454 million judgment after a judge found Trump had lied about his wealth for years. He is appealing that verdict.
The trial centers on a $130,000 payment that Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer, made to porn actor Stormy Daniels to prevent her claims of a sexual encounter with Trump from becoming public in the final days of the 2016 race.
Prosecutors say Trump obscured the true nature of the payments in internal records when his company reimbursed Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal charges in 2018 and is expected to be a star witness for the prosecution.
Trump has denied having a sexual encounter with Daniels, and his lawyers argue that the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses.
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. He could get up to four years in prison if convicted, though it’s not clear that the judge would opt to put him behind bars. Trump would almost certainly appeal any conviction.
Trump is involved in four criminal cases, but it’s not clear that any others will reach trial before the November election. Appeals and legal wrangling have caused delays in the other three cases charging Trump with plotting to overturn the 2020 election results and with illegally hoarding classified documents.
Follow the AP’s coverage of former President Donald Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump.
Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan criminal court in New York, Friday, April 19, 2024.. (Sarah Yenesel/Pool Photo via AP)
Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan criminal court in New York, Friday, April 19, 2024.( Spencer Platt/Pool Photo via AP)
Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan criminal court in New York, Friday, April 19, 2024. (Maansi Srivastava/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan criminal court in New York, Friday, April 19, 2024.( Spencer Platt/Pool Photo via AP)
Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court in New York, Friday, April 19, 2024. (Spencer Platt/Pool Photo via AP)
Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court in New York, Friday, April 19, 2024. (Spencer Platt/Pool Photo via AP)
Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal in New York, Friday, April 19, 2024. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP)
Former President Donald Trump speaks with the media while holding news clippings following his trial at Manhattan criminal court in New York on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Brendan McDermid/Pool Photo via AP)
Former president Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower on his way to Manhattan criminal court, Friday, April 19, 2024, in New York. Jury selection in the hush money trial of former President Donald Trump is set to resume after a frenetic day that eventually saw all 12 jurors sworn in along with one alternate juror. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Former president Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower on his way to Manhattan criminal court, Friday, April 19, 2024, in New York. Jury selection in the hush money trial of former President Donald Trump is set to resume after a frenetic day that eventually saw all 12 jurors sworn in along with one alternate juror. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Former President Donald Trump awaits the start of proceedings during jury selection at Manhattan criminal court, Thursday, April 18, 2024 in New York.Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg
Former President Donald Trump returns from a break at Manhattan criminal court in New York on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP)
Former President Donald Trump awaits the start of proceedings during jury selection at Manhattan criminal court, Thursday, April 18, 2024 in New York. (Timothy A. Clary/Pool Photo via AP)
