Abomination: Critics Rip Trump For 'Desecrating' White House With RNC Speech

Critics slammed President Donald Trump ’s use of the White House for a political stunt on Thursday as both unethical and illegal .

Trump spoke to a crowd on the South Lawn as he accepted his party’s nomination at the Republican National Convention , one of several purely political events done on government property lately. 

Earlier this week, Trump turned a naturalization ceremony at the White House into a televised spectacle during the RNC. And on Thursday, for Trump’s speech, the White House was festooned with campaign signs and logos.

Former White House ethics chief Walter Shaub , who served for six months under Trump and six under President Barack Obama , said the South Lawn speech wasn’t just an ethical lapse but “the breach of a sacred trust.”

The RNC was initially scheduled for Charlotte, North Carolina, but Trump was unhappy with the state’s limitations on gatherings intended to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The event was moved to Jacksonville, Florida. But when the virus spiked in Florida, the RNC moved the event to Washington with several key moments taking place in the White House itself.

Others joined Shaub to condemn the use of the White House for partisan political purposes: