Washington DC [US], May 25: President Donald Trump ripped U.S. diversity and inclusion policies, knocked NATO, and took credit for building up the military in a campaign-style commencement speech at the prestigious West Point Military Academy in New York.
Trump, wearing a suit and his signature red "Make America Great Again" cap, mixed advice to "work hard" with a list of his top grievances about cultural and political issues while speaking to a stadium filled with cadets, family members and a largely supportive crowd.
"The job of the U.S. Armed Forces is not to host drag shows, to transform foreign cultures," Trump said.
"The military's job is to dominate any foe and annihilate any threat to America, anywhere, anytime, in any place."
Since coming into office for the second time in January, Trump has rolled back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the military and throughout the government as part of a larger effort to rescind policies enacted by his predecessor Joe Biden.
"We've liberated our troops from divisive and demeaning political trainings," Trump told the 1,002 cadets graduating from the academy.
"There will be no more critical race theory or transgender for everybody forced onto our brave men and women in uniform, or on anybody else for that matter in this country."
Trump has been a strong supporter of the military even as he has put his own stamp on it, as he has other branches of government.
In February he fired the then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, and pushed out five other admirals and generals in an unprecedented shake-up of military leadership.
It was the second time Trump addressed graduates of the academy on the Hudson River following his appearance in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when cadets sat further apart and wore masks to prevent spread of the virus.
West Point aims to educate the next generation of Army leaders for a military that is meant to be apolitical and is sworn to defend the U.S. Constitution.
In a speech full of partisan rhetoric on Saturday, Trump took credit for rebuilding the Army and referenced his tariff-fueled trade war while repeating his longstanding criticism of NATO allies for not spending more on defense.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
