WEST POINT – President Trump addressed the 1,000 graduates of the Class of 2025 at West Point on Saturday that they are the first class in what he called the Golden Age of America, defending the country like never before.

“I just got back from the Middle East and I was at, as you know, Saudi Arabia, Quatar, UAE, and I will tell you they said – all three leaders, great leaders of those three nations – they all said the same thing, the United States of America is hotter than we ever ever seen it, and a year ago, it was as cold as it gets, and it’s true.”

Wearing a trademark red Make America Great Again baseball cap, the president said he has rebuilt the American military machine to be the biggest and strongest ever. But he emphasized he supports peace through strength.

During his speech, President Trump had West Point’s nationally ranked men’s lacrosse team stand to be recognized. The Black Knights spent part of 2024 as the top-ranked team in the nation. The Commander-in-Chief also called Army quarterback Bryson Daily to the stage, praising his “steel-like” shoulder. He also asked cadet Chris Verdugo to the stage, praising him for completing an 18.5-mile march on a freezing night in January in just two ½ hours.

President Trump also spoke at West Point’s graduation in 2020 during his first term in the White House. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony was held on the Plain, with graduates sitting six feet from one another.

President Joe Biden was the commencement speaker at the West Point graduation ceremony for the Class of 2024.