Trump will deliver the commencement address for West Point’s graduating class during an unconventional ceremony that will reflect the challenges facing Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic.
for the Class of 2020 – a decision met with swift condemnation from critics, who accused him of putting future military leaders’ lives at risk by forcing them to assemble during a deadly contagion.
Cadets were sent home in March when the pandemic hit and finished their studies through remote learning. Only the graduating seniors returned for Saturday's event, which is being moved from the on-campus football stadium to an expansive parade field known as the Plain. Presidents routinely speak at commencement addresses. Trump’s speech will mark his first graduation address at West Point, although he has spoken in previous years to graduates at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.
At West Point, Trump’s remarks to graduates will come not only as the nation is still reeling from the deadly coronavirus pandemic but also at a time of racial tension, domestic unrest and turmoil between the White House and the nation’s military leaders.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump to speak at West Point graduation as tensions with military leaders run highAs an apparent rift between the White House and Pentagon appears to widen, Pres. Donald Trump is poised to deliver the West Point commencement address at a socially distant event that is unprecedented in multiple ways.
Read more »
Group of West Point graduates warn that alumni in Trump administration 'betray public faith'Days before President Donald Trump is due to speak to graduates at the United States Military Academy, a group of graduates have issued their own message to the class of 2020 outlining concerns that 'fellow graduates serving in senior-level, public positions' are undermining the credibility of an apolitical military and betraying their 'commitment to Duty, Honor, Country.'
Read more »
Trump's battle with the military heads to West PointThe U.S. Military Academy at West Point is full of ghosts. But on Saturday, when President Trump delivers the annual commencement address to graduating cadets, one specter that will loom especially large is Robert E. Lee’s
Read more »