WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is delivering his first military commencement address since returning to office.

The Republican president is set to speak to West Point’s graduating class on Saturday morning.

In 2020, Trump delivered a commencement speech at West Point amid the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. He encouraged the graduating cadets to “never forget” the soldiers who fought a war over slavery, with his speech occurring as the nation grappled with its history of race following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.

Trump also honored the military academy’s legacy and its notable alumni, including Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D. Eisenhower. The event, held five years ago, faced criticism because the Military Academy required graduating cadets, who were at home due to COVID-19, to return to an area close to a pandemic hotspot.

Earlier this month, Trump visited Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to address the graduating class at the University of Alabama. His speech blended typical commencement themes and guidance with political criticisms of predecessor Joe Biden, reflections on transgender athletes, and false claims regarding the 2020 election.

On Friday, Vice President JD Vance spoke to the graduating class at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Vance said in his remarks that Trump is working to ensure U.S. soldiers are deployed with clear goals rather than the “undefined missions” and “open-ended conflicts” of the past.

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