Donald Trump blasts Biden on surprise Independence Day Zoom call to Florida VFW post

PORT ORANGE, Fla. ? Members of the local VFW Post 3282 in central Florida got an unexpected Zoom call as part of their Fourth of July festivities Thursday ? from Donald Trump.

When David Linsler stopped into the post earlier in the afternoon, he was told he might want to return later: At 6:30 p.m., Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., would be there and, oh, by the way, there was "another secret thing" happening.

Mills didn't show, but Trump's voice came through loud and clear. He delivered a special message to the packed, patriotic crowd. It was a receptive audience for the presumptive Republican nominee.

Not everyone was thrilled. At least one veteran held her head in her hands during Trump's eight-minute freeform delivery, in which he blasted the current occupant of the White House.

"I just want to say there's nobody that loves the military more than me," Trump said. "We've done more than, I would say, any other president in terms of rebuilding it. It was a mess ... I hated to see what happened in Afghanistan where these stupid people gave away $85, approximately $85 billion worth of brand-new military equipment: planes and tanks and guns."

The figure is a major exaggeration, but no one seemed to mind. He rolled on, bragging about his debate performance ("I think it exposed a certain person...") and attacking the current administration ("they're laughed at all over the world"). He did seem to infer that he would show some restraint in his criticism of the current president.

"Why should we be rude today? It's Independence Day. We shouldn't be rude to people, but it was pretty sad," Trump said of President Joe Biden's debate performance.

"It meant so much to me. I was completely ... taken in by it. I was," said Linsler, a Port Orange resident who served in the Navy from 1955 to 1988.

Then, saying some four minutes later, that Biden "is the worst president in the history of our country."

Waltz invited to spend July 4 with Trump

Trump has friends in central Florida. In addition to Mills, a hard-right Trump loyalist, he's also strongly backed by Florida Congressman Michael Waltz, who was also expected to make an appearance at the VFW post.

But according to Ernie Audino, district director for Waltz, the congressman was asked to join the former president at his golf club in New Jersey. Waltz did provide an introduction.

There were a few glitches.

Audino, a retired Army brigadier general, said the original plan was to honor 103-year-old post member Fred LaPonzina, but that didn't happen until after the call ended. Audino also planned to make the call interactive, with veterans getting a chance to ask Trump a few questions. That didn't happen as Trump had to jump onto another call.

None of that was a problem for Linsler, who had returned for the surprise guest.

"I'm so glad I did," Linsler said.

103-year-old veteran: 'I look for the truth'

LaPonzina didn’t want a reporter to write his spiciest quote about Trump, but offered his philosophy on voting.

“I’ll be honest with you. I’m a history man. I look at people’s history before I decide. I go by the man. Who you are and what you’ve done,” the New York native said.

LaPonzina, who did get a loud round of applause when introduced by Audino, joined the U.S. Army Air Corps after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He served for four years in the Pacific Theater as part of the 2nd Emergency Rescue Squadron.

In an interview before Trump's Zoom call, LaPonzina said he’s been a Democrat, an independent and a Republican, but he’s more interested in the person than the party.

“All I can tell you is I look for the truth,” he said.

Phil Holden, who retired from the Air Force after 24 years, also felt honored by the call.

"I think it's wonderful," he said. "I never thought in my wildest imagination that we would hear from President Trump. I'm going to vote for him, too."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Trump blasts Biden during July 4 Zoom call to Florida vets