“You are graduating in an exciting time in our country, in a time of extraordinary change and incredible possibilities,” the president says.
President Donald Trump addressed the University of Alabama graduates in Tuscaloosa in a nearly hour-long speech that combined humor and motivational themes, with thousands of people receiving approval.
“I promise you are the first graduation class of America’s golden age,” Trump said.
“You are graduating in both exciting times in our country, both times of extraordinary change and incredible possibilities, and times of incredible growth.”
The first opening speech since Trump returned to the White House in his second term will be spoken shortly after his 100th day inauguration.
The president encouraged his students to embrace “active thinking,” and “work hard,” and “control your own destiny and create your own luck.”
He thanked Alabama voters for choosing him with a 45% victory margin, telling the crowd that his administration is shaking the federal government to provide better service to the next generation.
Related Stories
“Every place you see, broken systems, corrupt institutions, the whole dogma is being wiped out by the flow of history,” Trump said. “Ancient wisdom has been rediscovered, and America’s best and strongest features are coming back to everyone, bigger and bigger than ever, and they’re coming back faster.”
Known for criticizing mainstream media as “fake news,” Trump first joked with a journalism student before calling the media one of the pillars of society, pointing to the importance of free press on a functioning democracy.
He challenged the graduates to “never give up.”
“In America, the impossible is that we all do our best,” Trump said. “If you’re willing to fight for it, there’s nothing you can’t do. You have to fight, fight, fight.”
The president’s speech continued his campaign’s elements with local elements, including several references to the university’s football team and the mandatory “roll tide” to invigorate the crowd.
Introducing the president by seven-time national champion, legendary college football coach Nick Saban, he praised Alabama’s victory spirit, drawing parallels between his athletic advantage and the possibility of starting alumni careers.
He hinted at a continuing legal battle with Harvard, saying Alabama students could be proud that their leadership “chosen freedom over lockdown” during the pandemic, suggesting that alumni will be poised to lead the country in the coming years.
“It’s obvious that we’ll see the next chapter of the American story not written by Harvard Crimson,” Trump said. “It will be written by you, Crimson Tide.”
One of the loudest applauses of the night was banning men from women’s sports.
“As long as I’m in the president, we’ll always protect women’s sports. Men don’t play,” Trump said before entering the list of cases where trans athletes beat women in competitions.
Some critics of the president’s policy protested the incident.
“Given the White House withdraws federal funds from our country’s universities, we understand whether (President Stuart R. Bell’s) administration is stuck between rocks and difficult places.
