Trump said the schedules for those events will be announced later.
President Donald Trump said on Monday that he will deliver commencement speeches at two colleges, marking the first of his second presidential term.
“I have agreed to do the Commencement Address at two really GREAT places, the University of Alabama and, WEST POINT,” he stated in a Truth Social
post, referring to the U.S. Military Academy in the latter.
Trump said the schedules for those events will be announced later. West Point stated on its website that graduation ceremonies were
scheduled for May 24.
The University of Alabama (UA) will hold commencement ceremonies from May 2 to May 4 at Coleman Coliseum, according to its
website.
The university said in a
statement that Trump’s address will take place on the evening of May 1, a day before the ceremonies, in a ticketed event open to all spring 2025 graduates.
“The University of Alabama is honored to have been selected as one of the universities President Donald J. Trump will visit to deliver a spring commencement address,” it stated.
UA added that campus logistics and security measures were being carefully coordinated ahead of the event.
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), a UA alumna, said in a
statement that she was “thrilled” Trump will deliver the keynote address at the university for the first time.
“It is a tremendous honor for the university and for this year’s graduating class to welcome a sitting President to campus—a first in the nearly 200-year history of the University of Alabama,” Britt stated.
Another UA alum, Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover), said he was excited that Trump will be delivering a commencement address at the university.
“I’m looking forward to welcoming President Trump back to our state and am thrilled for the students and families that get to witness this historic occasion. Roll Tide,” Palmer
stated on social media platform X.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey also
expressed her gratitude to Trump for giving UA students “an incredible opportunity” to hear from him, saying it will be “a historic occasion” for UA graduates and their families.
This will be Trump’s first commencement address of his second presidential term. He
delivered a commencement address at West Point during his first term in June 2020.
Trump made the announcement against the backdrop of his administration’s
investigations into reports of anti-Semitic discrimination and harassment within 60 elite universities.
More than 100 presidents of American universities and colleges signed a
letter on April 22 denouncing what they called “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” within American higher education.
In an emailed statement to The Epoch Times, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said the Trump administration is “standing up for equality and fairness” and will remain steadfast to protect the students.
