Cowardice Are you serious? Apologies for freedom— I can’t handle this! When freedom rings— Answer the call! On your feet! Stand up tall! Freedom’s on our shoulders. USA! Enemies of freedom Face the music Come on, boys—take ‘em down! President Donald Trump knows how To make America great Deal from strength or get crushed every time… Over here… USA! Over there… USA! Freedom and liberty everywhere… Oh, say can you see It’s not so easy But we have to stand up tall and answer freedom’s call USA! USA! USA! We’re the land of the free and the brave… USA… USA! The stars and stripes are flying Let’s celebrate our freedom Inspire, proudly, freedom to the world Ameri-tude… USA! American pride… USA! It’s attitude, it’s who we are Stand up tall… We’re the red, white, and blue Fiercely free, that’s who! Our colors don’t run, no sirree… Over here… USA! Over there… USA! Freedom and liberty everywhere… Oh, say can you see It’s not so easy But we have to stand up tall and answer freedom’s call!
It started in Pensacola. When Popick first reached out to the Trump campaign about performing, he spoke with various people including former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. His understanding from the campaign was that the Kids would make two appearances in Florida, where Popick lives. The first event didn't come to fruition, and Popick says he asked for $2,500 in payment for the second performance, in Pensacola. The campaign made a counter-offer: How about a table where the group could presell albums? Popick took the deal.
When they arrived at the venue, though, there was no table, Popick says. The result was "complete chaos," he said. "They clearly had made no provisions for that."
Popick, believing that he was owed some alternate compensation, tried to contact the campaign afterward, without luck. In addition to costs spent on promotional materials for the nonexistent table, Popick says, he also lost several promotional opportunities due to confusion over his relationship with the campaign.
When Trump made the sudden decision to skip the January Fox News debate and instead hold an event for veterans, a representative of the campaign called Popick to see if the Freedom Kids might perform. The call came the day before the event, Popick says, which was being held in Des Moines at 6:30 p.m. With the promise that the exposure from the event would be "huge," Popick readily agreed, and the kids and their parents packed up for a direct flight to Chicago and a long drive to Iowa.
It wasn't to be. When the plane landed, Popick had a message from the campaign staffer indicating that there was a change of plan. The campaign invited the performers to attend the rally, which they did, in their outfits. The campaign asked Popick not to talk to the media, he says, but then gave them seats within arm's length of the press. "They just were constantly coming over, wanting pictures," Popick said of the news media. "They wanted to take pictures, they wanted to ask questions — and I had to be a real jerk." The cost of the flights, rental car and hotel were all absorbed by Popick.
[Donald Trump used money donated for charity to buy himself a Tim Tebow-signed football helmet]
After that, he kept reaching out "again and again and again and again," without luck. He was passed around between staffers; calls went unreturned even after calls were promised. Emails Popick sent to the campaign (which he shared with The Post) detail the interaction between himself and the campaign and his ultimate request. "We are now asking and DEMANDING for what has been promised to us and is now long-overdue (and has been rightly earned by us); that is, a performance at the convention," an email dated July 9 reads. "Or, be made whole."
An email to the campaign requesting their understanding of the agreement was not returned by our deadline.
"These are guys that insist they're straight shooters," Popick said, "'You may not like what we're going to say, but we mean what we say and we say what we mean' — and they just would not say anything of any substance!"
"I've invested a lot of time, effort, money," he continued, "and it's just been complete silence."
It's hard to believe that they would do this ... well, actually it's totally believable. Join the long line of Americans who've been stiffed by Donald Trump. I've said it before, if you're doing any work for the Trrump campaign get your money up front.
But I have to love this:
"These are guys that insist they're straight shooters," Popick said, "'You may not like what we're going to say, but we mean what we say and we say what we mean' — and they just would not say anything of any substance!"
