President Trump delivered a commencement address on Saturday to 1,107 new officers graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
With many families and friends unable to attend the ceremony because of social distancing guidelines, President Trump took time to recognize and celebrate the incredible accomplishments of these young men and women.
“Few words in the English language and few places in history have commanded as much awe and admiration as West Point,” he said, calling the Academy “a universal symbol of American gallantry, loyalty, devotion, discipline, and great skill.”
Here are a few excerpts from what he told the Class of 2020 cadets:
- “Every graduate on this field could have gone to virtually any top-ranked university that you wanted. You chose to devote your life to the defense of America.”
- “You have come from the farms and the cities, from states big and small, and from every race, religion, color, and creed. But when you entered these grounds, you became part of one team, one family, proudly serving one great American nation.”
- “The survival of America and the endurance of civilization itself depends on the men and women just like each of you. It depends on people who love their country with all their heart and energy and soul.”
- “When it comes to bragging rights, no one can boast louder than the class that brought Navy’s 14-year football winning streak to a screeching halt. You did that. I happened to be there.”
The Class of 2020 cadets begin their careers at a crucial moment in U.S. history. President Trump believes the sacred duty of America’s military is to defend our country from foreign enemies, not to rebuild foreign nations. “We are not the policemen of the world,” he told the graduating class.
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READ: President Trump’s full remarks
