President Trump delivered the commencement speech for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Saturday morning, declaring at one point that the 2025 class consists of the “first West Point graduates of the Golden Age of America.”
“This is the Golden Age. I tell you, promise, we’re in a new age,” Trump told the graduates in New York, vowing that they are “going to lead the Army to summits of greatness.”
The speech, which lasted just under an hour, offered a mix of shoutouts to individual cadets for their personal achievements and words of advice while at times delving into culture war issues — including transgender athletes playing in women’s sports. Trump’s remarks also served as somewhat of a victory lap for his administration, particularly its proposed defense initiatives.
Trump took the opportunity during his speech to tout his Golden Dome missile defense system, which he’s previously said would “be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world, and even if they are launched from space” before the end of his second term.
The president also touted what he’s described as a “$1 trillion military budget,” referring to the president’s proposed 13 percent increase in defense spending, though the White House has noted that part of that money would come from Republicans’ reconciliation package.
A Senate GOP aide previously told The Hill that the White House has technically only proposed $893 billion for its discretionary defense spending for 2026, meaning the rest would be made up through reconciliation.
Trump used his Saturday speech to paint an optimistic picture about his term ahead, at one point remarking ,“we have the hottest country in the world” while also arguing that his administration was taking steps to course correct within the military. Trump only once explicitly mentioned the Biden administration in his speech.
“The job of the U.S. Armed Forces is not to host drag shows, to transform foreign cultures, but 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,” Trump said.
“A big part of that job is to be respected again,” he added. “And you are, as of right now, respected more than any army anywhere in the world.”
Since Trump returned to the White House, the administration has cracked down on the Defense Department’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs and hiring practices, including at military academies.
Trump imparted some words of advice to graduates on Saturday, too, urging the cadets “to do what you love” and advising them to “always think big.”
“You have to have the courage to take risks and to do things differently,” he said.
Trump’s remarks at West Point are the second commencement speech he’s delivered this month, though this is his first military graduation speech of his second term.
The president also delivered a speech at the University of Alabama earlier this month.
