President Donald Trump addressed graduates at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point by proclaiming them “winners” while touting his administration’s actions to reshape the military.
Trump spoke for nearly an hour to the class of 2025 at their commencement ceremony, taking moments to honor individual members of the class and heralding the whole class as the future of the military. The president also touted his efforts to rebuild the military as he honored the graduates.
“In a few moments, you’ll become graduates of the most elite and storied military academy in human history, and you will become officers in the greatest and most powerful army the world has ever known,” Trump said. “And I know because I rebuilt that army, and I rebuilt the military. And we rebuilt it like nobody has ever rebuilt it before.”
He also honored the graduates’ decision to serve the country rather than go into other fields for their careers.
“You chose honor and you chose sacrifice. And instead of business suits and dress shoes, you chose muddy boots and fatigues; keeping yourself in shape, because West Point cadets don’t just have the brightest minds, you also have the bravest hearts and the noblest souls,” Trump said.
“You’re amazing people. I could not be more proud to serve you as your commander in chief,” the president added. “And our country is doing well. We’ve turned it around. Very quickly. We’ve turned it around.”
Trump also took aim at former presidents, claiming for the past two decades they have “dragged our military into missions it was never meant to be,” but said he is now “getting rid of distractions.”
“We’re focusing our military on its core mission: crushing America’s adversaries, killing America’s enemies, and defending our great American flag like it has never been defended before,” Trump said.
“The job of the U.S. Armed Forces is not to host drag shows, to transform foreign cultures, or to spread democracy to everybody around the world at the point of a gun. The military’s job is to dominate any foe and annihilate any threat to America, anywhere, anytime, and any place,” he added.
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The president concluded his address by congratulating the graduates and promising them that the country would continue to win.
“So we’re going to keep winning. This country is going to keep winning. And with you, the job is easy. I want to thank you all. Congratulations to the class of 2025,” Trump said.
