On Saturday, President Trump delivers the commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy West Point.
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00:00:00this outstanding class to you this morning as our nation's newest warfighters and leaders of character.
00:00:17Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce this morning's commencement speaker,
00:00:22the 45th and 47th President of the United States, President Donald J. Trump.
00:00:30Well, I want to thank you very much. This is a beautiful place. I've been here many times,
00:00:56going to high school, not so far away. A good place. Also, a military academy. Not quite of this distinction,
00:01:05but it was a lot of fun for me. And I just want to say hello, cadets, and on behalf of our entire nation,
00:01:12let me begin by saying congratulations to the West Point Class of 2025. You are winners, every single one of you. Thank you.
00:01:26And now we want you to relax, and I'm supposed to say at ease, but you're already at ease.
00:01:35You're at ease because you've made a great choice in what you're doing. Your choices in life have been really amazing.
00:01:42So this is a celebration, and let's have a little fun. I want to thank your highly respected superintendent,
00:01:49General Stephen Guillen, and he is really something. I got to know him backstage with his beautiful family and his reputation.
00:01:57His wife is just incredible. His reputation is unbelievable, and thank you very much.
00:02:03And your daughter is a winner also, just like everybody out there, a real winner. Thank you. Thank you.
00:02:14I also want to thank Commandant General R.J. Garcia, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, Army Chief of Staff General Randy George,
00:02:26Senator Ashley Moody, Representatives Steve Womack, Bill Huizenga, Pat Ryan, Mark Green, Keith Self,
00:02:36Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Haba, and very much just all of the friends. We have a lot of friends in the audience today,
00:02:44and I just want to thank them all for being here. We have a tremendous amount of my friends.
00:02:49They wanted to come up, and they wanted to watch the ceremony, and they wanted to watch you much more so than me.
00:02:54So I just want to thank so many people here. Over the past four years, an extraordinary group of professors,
00:03:00teachers, coaches, leaders, and warriors have transformed this class of cadets into an exceptional group of scholars and soldiers.
00:03:09So let's give the entire group, the entire West Point faculty and staff, for their incredible love of you
00:03:18and outstanding devotion to the Corps. Let's give them a little hand.
00:03:34And importantly, we can't forget all of those people beaming with pride. Look at them in the audience.
00:03:41They're so proud. They're in this stand, so thank your parents, your grandparents, and family members who made this all possible for you.
00:03:57And I think they must have done something right based on what I'm looking at.
00:04:01America loves our military moms and dads nearly.
00:04:05One-third of the cadets graduating today are themselves the children of veterans.
00:04:10So to everyone with us this morning who served America in uniform, no matter your age, please stand so we can salute you, sir, as we'd like to see who you are.
00:04:23Congratulations. Great job.
00:04:41Every cadet in the field before me should savor this morning because this is a day you will never, ever forget.
00:04:50In a few moments, you will become graduates of the most elite and historic military academy in human history,
00:04:58and you will become officers in the greatest and most powerful army the world has ever known.
00:05:05And I know because I rebuilt that army, and I rebuilt the military.
00:05:17And we rebuilt it like nobody has ever rebuilt it before in my first step.
00:05:27Your experience here at West Point has been anything but easy.
00:05:46Looking out at all of you today, I can proudly say mission accomplished. Great job.
00:06:06But now you have to go on.
00:06:15You have to forget that because now you have another.
00:06:18It's a sad thing, isn't it?
00:06:20You know, you can't rest on your laurels no matter what.
00:06:23You just have to keep going, and you take it.
00:06:25You take a little day off, and you go on to the rest because you have to have victory after victory after victory.
00:06:31And that's what you're going to have as you receive your commissions as second lieutenants.
00:06:36As each of you continues down the same hallowed path walked by titans and legends of U.S. military law,
00:06:45giants like Ulysses S. Grant, John Blackjack Pershing, Dwight David Eisenhower,
00:06:53the one and only Douglas MacArthur, old blood and guts George Patton, and storming Norman Schwarzkopf.
00:07:09Oh, man, so many more.
00:07:13They, countless other patriots before you have walked out of these halls and straight into history.
00:07:19And today, you officially join those immortal heroes in a proud ranks of the long gray line.
00:07:26You know that term, so beautiful, the long gray line.
00:07:33Among the 1,000 cadets graduating today, 26 of you wear the prestigious star brief, signifying the highest level of academic achievement.
00:07:46Please stand down, 26.
00:07:49Let's see if somebody stands who shouldn't be standing.
00:08:06Congratulations.
00:08:09This class includes an incredible four Rhodes Scholars.
00:08:15Stand up, there's four.
00:08:26That's tied for the most of any West Point class since 1959.
00:08:32Congratulations.
00:08:35I want to bring them right to the Oval Office.
00:08:37I don't want to have them go too far away from me.
00:08:41Eight cadets here today took on the challenge of designing their own hypersonic rocket.
00:08:48Oh, we could use you building them right now.
00:08:54You know, we had ours stolen.
00:08:57We are the designer of it.
00:08:59We had it stolen during the Obama administration.
00:09:05It was stolen.
00:09:06The Russians stole it.
00:09:08Something bad happened.
00:09:10But we're now, we're the designer of it.
00:09:13We're now building them, lots of them.
00:09:15And earlier this year, they launched it into space, setting a world record for aperture rocket training.
00:09:22Can't get you in there fast enough.
00:09:24This class excelled not only mentally, but also physically.
00:09:28Last January, when more than 1,000 cadets volunteered for an 18-and-a-half-mile march on a freezing winter night,
00:09:36Cadet Chris Verdugo completed the task in two hours and 30 minutes flat,
00:09:43smashing the international record for the competition by 13 minutes.
00:09:49Where is he?
00:09:50Where is he?
00:09:52Come up here.
00:09:53Come up here, Chris.
00:09:55Get up here, Chris.
00:10:00Come here.
00:10:03By 13 minutes.
00:10:06Come here, Chris.
00:10:16Come here.
00:10:27It's been a long five years, but I couldn't have done it without you guys.
00:10:31Love you.
00:10:43That's right.
00:10:44Keep it going, Chris.
00:10:45That really is the definition of Army's strongest in the international.
00:10:50International.
00:10:51This class includes 513 graduates who completed aerosol school, 70 who completed airborne school,
00:11:01eight who made it through the ultra-elite Army diver school,
00:11:06among the most difficult and grueling programs anywhere on Earth.
00:11:11That includes the first two women in West Point history to complete diver school,
00:11:18Cadets Megan Cooper and Clara Sabre.
00:11:21Where are you?
00:11:22Stand up.
00:11:28Where are they?
00:11:32Wow, great job.
00:11:35That is not easy.
00:11:37Congratulations.
00:11:39Megan and Clara, that's a job well done.
00:11:43Thank you very much.
00:11:48Some of you achieved a different kind of distinction here at the academy,
00:11:52including seven century men who completed 100 hours of marching for disciplinary,
00:12:00oh, no, infractions.
00:12:03No, don't tell me I'm doing it.
00:12:05Oh, I'm so sorry.
00:12:08Would you like to stand up?
00:12:25I think I saw Chris standing up.
00:12:27Chris, what's going on?
00:12:30Okay, I'm wondering what that's about, right, Chris?
00:12:34I can't believe Chris is standing up.
00:12:37Everyone, I'm going to leave you today, Chris, so you're going to be okay,
00:12:41because I'm going to do something with a clean slate.
00:12:44So, in keeping with tradition, I hereby pardon all cadets on restriction for minor conduct,
00:12:52offensive and effective, immediately, so you're all okay.
00:13:06Class of 2025, I'd love to be proud of including your first great athletes in
00:13:13athletics or something.
00:13:15I've been watching you.
00:13:16I love the sports stuff.
00:13:18What you've done is pretty amazing.
00:13:20Last year, for the first time ever, Army lacrosse became the number one ranked
00:13:26men's lacrosse team in the entire country.
00:13:37Those of you on the team, stand.
00:13:39That's a big-time stand.
00:13:51Great.
00:13:52That's a tough sport, too.
00:13:54That's number one in the country.
00:13:56Your sophomore year, Army football beat Navy 20-17.
00:14:02And the next year, you did it again, beating Navy 17-11 and dominating Air Force 23-3.
00:14:12But this year, the Black Knights fought your way into the top 20 nationally and racked
00:14:21up your longest winning streak since 1949 with the help of graduating quarterback cadet
00:14:29Bryson Daly, or as you call him, Captain of the Merc.
00:14:33Captain of the Merc.
00:14:35Stay down, Bryson.
00:14:42We got to get him up here, right?
00:14:44Come on, Bryson.
00:14:46Come on.
00:14:52I heard you.
00:14:54I heard you.
00:14:55So why didn't you agree with us?
00:14:57I said, yeah, we can get him to the NFL.
00:15:00But he chose this life.
00:15:02And you know what?
00:15:03I think he made it.
00:15:04Come on up here, Bryson.
00:15:06Come on up.
00:15:08Wow.
00:15:28Go Army football.
00:15:29Shout out to the Hawks.
00:15:31I just tapped his shoulders like I hit a piece of steel.
00:15:48He's in good shape.
00:15:50There's a reason, you know?
00:15:53There's always a reason for success.
00:15:55Thank you, Bryson.
00:15:57At a time when other top college quarterbacks were thinking about going pro, Bryson's mind
00:16:03was on something else as he told an interviewer earlier this year, I'm focused on my career
00:16:09as an infantry officer.
00:16:11That's what he wants to do.
00:16:15Well, Bryson, you did the right thing.
00:16:17That service was fine.
00:16:19Thanks, Bryson.
00:16:21That's amazing.
00:16:22He's an amazing guy.
00:16:23He's an amazing team.
00:16:25Each of you on the field today is among the most talented members of your generation.
00:16:30You could have done anything you wanted to.
00:16:33You could have gone anywhere.
00:16:34You could have gone to any school.
00:16:36This is one of the hardest schools to get into.
00:16:38And writing your own ticket to top jobs on Wall Street or so-called wouldn't be bad.
00:16:46But I think when you do, it's better.
00:16:49Instead of sports teams and spreadsheets and software, you chose a life of service,
00:16:56very important service, instead of stock options.
00:16:59And I do that stuff.
00:17:00It's sort of boring.
00:17:03Honestly, compared to what you're doing, it's a little boring.
00:17:06You chose honor and you chose sacrifice.
00:17:10And instead of business suits and breast sheets, you chose muddy boots and fatigues,
00:17:15keeping yourself in shape.
00:17:17Because, West Point cadets, don't just have the brightest minds.
00:17:21You also have the bravest hearts and the noblest souls of the nation's people.
00:17:26I could not be more proud to serve you as your commander-in-chief.
00:17:30And our country is doing well.
00:17:32We've turned it around very quickly.
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00:20:18No task has ever been too tough for America's Army.
00:20:22And now that 250-year legacy of glory and triumph belongs to you,
00:20:28the 1,000 who have served the greatest fighting force in the history of the world.
00:20:34That's what you are.
00:20:35That's what you've been thought of.
00:20:37Again, you are the first West Point graduates of the Golden Age of America.
00:20:45This is the Golden Age.
00:20:46This is the Golden Age.
00:20:47And you are going to lead the Army to summits of greatness it has never reached before.
00:21:00You see that.
00:21:01You see what's happening.
00:21:02You see what's going on in the world.
00:21:04Each of you is entering the Office of Corps in a defining moment in the Army's history.
00:21:11For at least two decades,
00:21:13our leaders from both parties have dragged our military into missions it was never meant to be.
00:21:20It wasn't meant to be.
00:21:22People would say, why are we doing this?
00:21:24Why are we wasting our time, money, and souls in some case?
00:21:30They said our warriors are a nation-building crusade.
00:21:33It's the nations that wanted nothing to do with us.
00:21:37Led by leaders that didn't have a clue of distant lands
00:21:41and using our soldiers with absurd ideological experiments,
00:21:45here and at home.
00:21:47All of that's tended, you know that?
00:21:50All of it's tended.
00:21:52Tended to struggle with war.
00:21:54And now you do not have to think about it anymore.
00:21:57They subjected the armed forces to all manner of social prejudice and political causes.
00:22:03While leaving our borders undefended
00:22:06and depleting arsenals to fight for other countries' borders.
00:22:10We fought for other countries' borders, but we didn't fight for our own border.
00:22:14But now we do.
00:22:16Like we have never fought before.
00:22:21But under the Trump administration, those days are over.
00:22:25We're getting rid of the distractions and we're focusing our military on its core mission.
00:22:31Crushing America's adversaries, killing America's enemies,
00:22:36and defending our great American flag like this has never been defended before.
00:22:49The job of the US armed forces is not to host great shows,
00:22:54to transform foreign cultures,
00:22:58or to spread democracy to everybody around the world at the point of a gun.
00:23:04The military's job is to dominate any foe and annihilate any threat to America,
00:23:10anywhere, anytime, and anyplace.
00:23:21A big part of that job is to be respected again,
00:23:25and you are, as of right now, respected more than any army anywhere in the world.
00:23:30And that's happening, and I can tell you, you are respected.
00:23:34Like nobody can believe.
00:23:37As president, I am always focused on our core national interests.
00:23:42My preference will always be to make peace and seek partnership,
00:23:47even with countries where our differences may be profound.
00:23:51As you know, we're working on a lot of things right now.
00:23:54When I left office four years ago, we had no wars, we had no problems.
00:23:59We had nothing but success.
00:24:01We had the most incredible economy, the single greatest economy for a president.
00:24:08Initially, I think we would have beaten this guy by a lot if we went after him.
00:24:13But we had something going on very special.
00:24:16If the United States or its allies are ever threatened or attacked,
00:24:20the army will obliterate our opponents with overwhelming strength and devastating force.
00:24:26That's why my administration has begun a colossal buildup of the United States Armed Forces,
00:24:33a buildup like we've never had before.
00:24:37Peace through strength, you know the term, used it a lot.
00:24:42Because as much as you want to fight, I'd rather do it without having to fight.
00:24:54I just want to look at them and have them fall.
00:24:58And that's happening. That's happening.
00:25:01And I've approved a $1 trillion investment.
00:25:10And that will be, again, the largest ever in the history of our country.
00:25:15And we are buying new airplanes, brand new beautiful planes, redesigned planes,
00:25:23brand new planes, totally stealth planes.
00:25:27I own this stuff. I own the whole stealth thing.
00:25:29I'm sort of wondering, you know, we shape a wing this way, they don't see it,
00:25:33but the other way they see it, I'm not so sure.
00:25:36That's what they tell me.
00:25:39We have the best tanks anywhere in the world.
00:25:42We're going to start shipbuilding again.
00:25:45We're going to start ship—we used to build a ship a day.
00:25:48Now we don't build them anymore.
00:25:50We have a lot of people that didn't know much about getting things built.
00:25:54That's all I've done in my life is build.
00:25:57We're going to have the best missiles. We already have drones.
00:26:00And much, much more.
00:26:02Earlier this week, I think you'll like this, I asked,
00:26:05and we are officially building all of America, made in America, designed in America.
00:26:10We're the only ones that can do it because we're the only ones with the great technology.
00:26:15We're building the golden dome missile defense shield to protect our homeland
00:26:21and to protect West Point from attack.
00:26:24And it will be completed before I leave office.
00:26:33And you wouldn't think this, but our enemies are very unhappy about it.
00:26:38You've been hearing, you've been reading, why are they doing that, why?
00:26:42Well, we're doing it because we want to be around for a long time, that's why we're doing it.
00:26:47We're also restoring the fundamental principle,
00:26:50a central purpose of our military is to protect our own borders from invasion.
00:26:57Our country was invaded for the last four years,
00:27:00and they've allowed people to come into our country that shouldn't be here.
00:27:05Criminals walk in, no vetting, no checking, no nothing.
00:27:10Where are they coming from?
00:27:12And they were taking people out of prisons, they were taking gang members,
00:27:16they were taking the mentally insane and allowing them to come in,
00:27:20and we're getting them out of our country, we have no choice.
00:27:23We're getting them out and bringing them back where they came from.
00:27:27No choice.
00:27:30And it's not easy.
00:27:32It's not easy.
00:27:35But hopefully the courts will allow us to continue.
00:27:39You know, we had a great election.
00:27:41Victory is December 5th.
00:27:43We won the popular vote by millions of votes.
00:27:47We won all seven swing states.
00:27:49We won everything.
00:27:50We won 2,750 districts against 505.
00:27:562,750 against 505.
00:28:00We had a great mandate, and it gives us the right to do what we want to do,
00:28:04to make our country great again, and that's what we're going to do.
00:28:08On day one, I deployed our military to the southern border,
00:28:12and since that day, we've reduced the number of illegal border crossings
00:28:16where there used to be hundreds of thousands of people coming into our country a day.
00:28:24We had nobody come in.
00:28:26In the last week of that, we were at 99.999%.
00:28:36Or 99.999%.
00:28:39I was with the help of our military.
00:28:42We had one person come in.
00:28:44One.
00:28:45You know why?
00:28:46We got very sick.
00:28:48We brought him through to have him brought to a hospital.
00:28:51One person.
00:28:52And for that, please don't hold me responsible, but that's okay.
00:28:56They did the right thing.
00:28:58Gone are the days where defending every nation but our own was the primary thought
00:29:05We are putting America first.
00:29:07We have to put America first.
00:29:09We have to rebuild and defend our nation.
00:29:13And very shortly, you're going to see a nation better than it's ever been.
00:29:19And you see that with the trade.
00:29:21The years we've been ripped off by every nation in the world on trade,
00:29:25we've been ripped off at the NATO level.
00:29:28We've been ripped off like no country has ever been ripped off
00:29:33but they've never ripped us off anymore.
00:29:35They're not going to rip us off anymore.
00:29:37And you're seeing it.
00:29:38You have to watch what we're doing in trade.
00:29:40I know it's not your primary thing, but it's quite important to go and watch.
00:29:45You'll see what's going on.
00:29:47I've been reading about it over the last few days.
00:29:49We're making deals with other nations that were not even, nobody thought it would be even possible.
00:29:56And the reason is very simple.
00:29:59They respect us again.
00:30:00They're respecting our country again.
00:30:02That's what we want.
00:30:03And everything we do, we are bringing common sense back to America.
00:30:08It's all about common sense.
00:30:09We can say we're liberal, conservative.
00:30:12The new word is progressive.
00:30:14I don't like using the word liberal anymore.
00:30:16That's why I call them liberal.
00:30:18But whatever you are, you know, most importantly, you have to have common sense.
00:30:26General, most of it is about common sense.
00:30:28We'll get right down to it.
00:30:30And we have a lot of people with a lot of very smart people, but they have to have common sense.
00:30:37We've liberated our troops from divisive and demeaning political traits.
00:30:42There will be no more critical race theory of traitors yet.
00:30:46And for everybody, we're still going to operate men and women in a uniform world.
00:30:50I don't want anybody else to have that in this country.
00:30:54And we will not have men playing in women's sports, if that's okay.
00:31:09I mean, I wouldn't want to have to tackle, as an example, Bryson as a man.
00:31:15But I don't think anybody would want to tackle him.
00:31:18I don't think so.
00:31:20How crazy is it?
00:31:21Men playing in women's sports.
00:31:23How crazy is it?
00:31:25So ridiculous.
00:31:26So demeaning.
00:31:27So demeaning to women.
00:31:29And it's over.
00:31:30That's over.
00:31:31We've ended it.
00:31:33And promotions and appointments will not be based on politics or identity.
00:31:38They'll be based on merit.
00:31:39And one of the cases the Supreme Court in Venice says we're allowed to go back to a system of merit.
00:31:47We're a merit-based country again today.
00:31:52We're a merit-based country.
00:31:54We're a merit-based country.
00:31:56We're a merit-based country.
00:31:58And we're a merit-based country.
00:32:00We're a merit-based country.
00:32:02Recruiting shortfalls.
00:32:04Just last year was the worst of all.
00:32:07The last year of the Biden administration.
00:32:12We couldn't get anybody to join our military.
00:32:15We couldn't get anybody to join our police or firefighters.
00:32:18We couldn't get anybody to join anything.
00:32:21And right now, less than a year later, we just set a brand-new peacetime recruiting record.
00:32:30Most people joined, and we are brimming.
00:32:35In fact, be careful.
00:32:36There's somebody there trying to take your job.
00:32:37Be careful.
00:32:38You better be careful.
00:32:39We are brimming with confidence, and we're brimming with people.
00:32:43We had the most best recruiting month that we've had in memory.
00:32:49Nobody remembers anything like it.
00:32:51And that's all because they have spirit now.
00:32:53They have spirit.
00:32:54They have spirit for our country.
00:32:56And now everybody wants to be doing what you're doing.
00:32:59Think of that.
00:33:00So, it's really a great honor.
00:33:03And I'm pleased to report that by next week, the Army is expected to surpass its recruiting targets for the entire year.
00:33:11Something that hasn't happened in 28 years where we've had that.
00:33:14So, that's pretty good.
00:33:16And it's nice to know that you're doing something that everybody wants to do.
00:33:25Isn't that really nice?
00:33:27Listen, I hate to hear that.
00:33:28During the campaign, I was very happy that I couldn't get people to enlist,
00:33:32but now I'm getting people sad because I'm telling so many people I'm sorry.
00:33:38My administration is doing everything possible to forge the most powerful military ever built.
00:33:45But ultimately, the task of keeping America strong and safe in the years ahead is going to belong to you.
00:33:52Among you are the lieutenants, majors, colonels, and generals who will lead the Army for the next 10, 20, 30, even 40 years.
00:34:01So, as Commander-in-Chief, let me offer a few words of advice as you begin your Army careers.
00:34:08And I thought I'd do this and I can make this into a civilian audience or to a military audience.
00:34:14It's pretty much the same thing.
00:34:16And I did this recently at Ohio State, and they really liked it.
00:34:23They gave me a little advice as to what I see for what you want to do and some tips.
00:34:30And first of all, you've already done it.
00:34:32You're different from civilians that are making the decision right now.
00:34:36You're already making the decision.
00:34:37I love your decision.
00:34:38You have to do what you love.
00:34:40You have to do what you love.
00:34:42If you don't love it, you'll never be successful at it.
00:34:45And you've done this.
00:34:46And you really, many of you in the audience, many of you that are graduating, you come from military backgrounds.
00:34:54You love the military.
00:34:55It's what you want to do.
00:34:56It's what you want to talk about.
00:34:58One thing I see about people that love the military, that's all they want to talk about.
00:35:03I'll be out to dinner.
00:35:06Generals, if they love their job, they're usually the only ones that want to talk about it all the time.
00:35:12But if they talk, that's what they want to talk about.
00:35:15I rarely, really, very rarely see somebody successful that doesn't love what he or she does.
00:35:23You have to love what you do.
00:35:25In your case, the military is what you chose.
00:35:28And I'll tell you what, you could not go.
00:35:30You can see it too.
00:35:31You can look at it more and more all the time.
00:35:33You know, I work all the time.
00:35:35That's all I do is work, whether it's politically or before that.
00:35:41I was a very good businessman occasionally.
00:35:43I was really good.
00:35:45But I was good because I loved it.
00:35:47I loved it.
00:35:48I learned from my father that my father was a happy guy.
00:35:52And all he did was work.
00:35:54He worked Saturdays, Sundays.
00:35:57He worked all the time.
00:35:59And he was a happy guy.
00:36:01Just loved life.
00:36:03And I learned that.
00:36:04I said, you know, it makes you happy.
00:36:06I've seen other people that never worked and they're not happy.
00:36:11You've got to love it.
00:36:12Otherwise, you won't be successful in the Army.
00:36:15There are a lot of different paths you can take.
00:36:18So follow your instincts and make sure that you take the path that you love,
00:36:22that you're doing something that you love within your military.
00:36:25You will be happier in the Army.
00:36:28You will be far stronger for it.
00:36:30Second is to think big.
00:36:32Always think big.
00:36:34If you're going to do something, you might as well think big, do it big,
00:36:37because it's just as tough and sometimes it's a lot easier thinking big
00:36:43than doing the small task that's more difficult.
00:36:47One of your greatest graduates, General Eisenhower, used to say,
00:36:51whenever I run into a problem that I can't solve,
00:36:55I always like to make it bigger to solve it and solve more of it.
00:37:00If you're going to solve a problem,
00:37:02you might as well be a big problem as opposed to a small problem
00:37:05that less of the people can take advantage of and solve.
00:37:09So you can achieve something really amazing, think big.
00:37:14Third, though, you've got to do this.
00:37:17Break down what you have to have.
00:37:20Potentially you have to have.
00:37:22But to be really successful, you're always going to have to work hard.
00:37:27An example is a great athlete, a great player, a great golfer.
00:37:31He wasn't as big as the other men that were playing against him,
00:37:35great, big, strong guys.
00:37:37He was a small guy.
00:37:39I don't want to say too much about him.
00:37:41I don't want to get into the negative reactions of people.
00:37:44Because he hit the ball just as far.
00:37:46He said, I hit the ball further than that.
00:37:48Why am I small?
00:37:50But he worked very, very hard.
00:37:52He was always doing exercise.
00:37:54He was always doing well ahead of time.
00:37:57He never stopped.
00:37:58He won $168.
00:38:00He won 18 majors, 9 regular and 9 receiving tours.
00:38:0518 with $168.
00:38:08That's the most tournaments internationally.
00:38:10The most tournaments anybody's ever won.
00:38:13But he made his name a few years ago, and I heard it.
00:38:16I heard it.
00:38:17He's the first one I think I've heard a couple of times since.
00:38:19But he was the first.
00:38:21He said, it's funny.
00:38:22The harder I work, the luckier I get.
00:38:26And think of that.
00:38:27The harder I work, the luckier I get.
00:38:29He worked hard.
00:38:31He worked hard.
00:38:32The harder I work, the luckier I get.
00:38:35Fourth is, don't lose your momentum.
00:38:39Momentum is an amazing thing.
00:38:41Keep it going.
00:38:42I tell this story sometimes about a man who was a great, great real estate man.
00:38:48It was a man who was admired for real estate all over the world, actually.
00:38:55But all over the country.
00:38:57He built 11 towns.
00:38:59He started as a man who built one house.
00:39:03Then he built two.
00:39:04Then he built five.
00:39:05Then he built 20.
00:39:07Then he built 1,000.
00:39:09Then he built 2,000, 3,000 a year.
00:39:13And he got very big.
00:39:14Very big.
00:39:15He was very, very big.
00:39:17You see him all over the country, still 11 towns.
00:39:20This was a long time ago.
00:39:22But he was the first of the really, really big home builders.
00:39:26And he became very rich.
00:39:28He became a very rich man.
00:39:30And then he decided to sell.
00:39:34He was offered a lot of money by a big conglomerate.
00:39:38Dolphin West was a big conglomerate.
00:39:40They didn't do real estate.
00:39:41They didn't know anything about it.
00:39:43But they saw the money he was making.
00:39:44They wanted to take the public company.
00:39:46And they gave him a lot of money.
00:39:48Tremendous amount of money.
00:39:51And he sold his company.
00:39:53And he had nothing to do.
00:39:55He ended up getting a divorce.
00:39:58Found a new wife.
00:40:00Would you say a trophy wife?
00:40:02I guess we could say a trophy wife.
00:40:04It didn't work out too well.
00:40:06But it doesn't work out too well unless you study a lot of trophy wives.
00:40:11That doesn't work out.
00:40:12But it made him happy for a little while at least.
00:40:15But he found a new wife.
00:40:18He sold his little boat.
00:40:20He got a big yacht.
00:40:21He had one of the biggest yachts anywhere in the world.
00:40:23He moved for a time to Monte Carlo and lived a good life.
00:40:27And time went by and he got bored.
00:40:31And 15 years later, the company that he sold to called him.
00:40:39And they said, the housing business is not for us.
00:40:44You have to understand, when Willem was hot, when he had momentum,
00:40:48he'd go to his job sites every night and pick up every loose nail.
00:40:52He'd pick up every scrap of wood.
00:40:55If there was a bolt or a screw laying in the ground,
00:40:58he'd pick it up and they'd use it the next day and put it together out.
00:41:02But now he was spoiled.
00:41:04And he was rich.
00:41:05He was really rich.
00:41:07And they called him, they said, this isn't for us.
00:41:11Would you like to buy it back?
00:41:13We'll sell it back to you cheap.
00:41:15And they did.
00:41:16He bought it.
00:41:17He bought it.
00:41:18He thought he made a great deal.
00:41:20And he was all excited.
00:41:21But it was 15 years later, he lost a lot of momentum.
00:41:25Remember the word momentum?
00:41:27And he lost everything.
00:41:31It just didn't work.
00:41:32He lost everything.
00:41:33And I was sitting at a party in Fifth Avenue one night, a long time ago.
00:41:39And yet the biggest people in New York,
00:41:41the biggest people in the country were all in that party.
00:41:44They were all saluting each other.
00:41:45They were all telling each other, I'm greater than you.
00:41:50It gets me really jittery sometimes.
00:41:54But they had all these people that were telling their own stories about how
00:41:58fantastic a cocktail party had been over.
00:42:01And I was doing well.
00:42:02I was invited to the party so I had to be doing well.
00:42:06I was very, very young.
00:42:08But I made it there.
00:42:09And I looked over and I had the party sitting in the corner all by myself.
00:42:14Nobody was talking to me.
00:42:15It was just 11.
00:42:17He had just gone bankrupt.
00:42:18He lost everything.
00:42:19He lost everything.
00:42:20His home, everything.
00:42:23And I went over and talked to him.
00:42:26And he said, hello, Mr. Levin.
00:42:31How are you?
00:42:32He said, hello, Donald.
00:42:34It's nice to meet you.
00:42:35He knew me from being in the business.
00:42:38I said, so how's it going?
00:42:40It's not well.
00:42:41It's really not going well, as you probably read.
00:42:44It's been very, very tough for you, son.
00:42:47I said, so what happened?
00:42:49He says, anything you can do.
00:42:51He goes, no, there's not a thing I can do.
00:42:54He said, I'll never forget.
00:42:56He said, I've lost my momentum.
00:42:59I just didn't have it.
00:43:01I used to have it, but I lost my momentum.
00:43:04So it's a story I tell.
00:43:06And you have to know when you have the momentum.
00:43:09But sometimes you have to also know when you've lost the momentum.
00:43:14And leaving a field, sometimes leaving what you're doing sometimes is OK.
00:43:20But you've got to have momentum.
00:43:22But you have to know when that momentum is gone.
00:43:24You have to know when to say it's time to get out.
00:43:28And it's a very sad story.
00:43:30I remember that story so well, like it was yesterday.
00:43:33Fifth, you have to have the courage to take risks and do things differently.
00:43:38Eisenhower again was threatened with court-martials as a young officer
00:43:43for advocating a new doctrine of tank warfare.
00:43:47Billy Mitchell was thrown out of the Army for pioneering the use of air power.
00:43:52They said, what do you mean air power?
00:43:54Don't be ridiculous.
00:43:55People are willing to try and do things differently.
00:44:00It's never going to be easy for them.
00:44:02They're the ones that are going to really do the important things.
00:44:05They're the ones who are going to make history.
00:44:07So don't be ashamed and don't be afraid.
00:44:10This is a time of incredible change.
00:44:13And we do not need an officer corps of guerrillas and Yellowstone
00:44:18and people that want to keep it going the way it's been
00:44:20because it changes rapidly, especially what you're doing.
00:44:24Because believe it or not, you're in a business, a profession,
00:44:29where things change as rapidly like warfare, the type of warfare.
00:44:34Unfortunately, we're going to see it with Russia and Ukraine.
00:44:38And we're studying it, and it's a very terrible thing to study.
00:44:42But we're seeing the different forms of warfare.
00:44:45We're seeing the drones that are coming down and the hangars.
00:44:49We're seeing it with precision.
00:44:52We've never seen anything like it.
00:44:54We've never seen anything like it, and we're learning from it.
00:44:57But your profession changes very rapidly.
00:45:01You've got to be at the top of it.
00:45:03You've got to be right at the head of the deal.
00:45:07We need patriots with guts and vision and backbone
00:45:10to take personal risks to ensure that America wins.
00:45:14Every single time, we want to win our battles.
00:45:18In three weeks, they told me it would take five years,
00:45:21and the general that did it, you know that story,
00:45:26was named Rayson McCain.
00:45:28His name was Dan Kane.
00:45:30And his nickname was Rayson McCain.
00:45:33I said, Your name is Rayson McCain, and I love that.
00:45:36Is that a nickname? That's what they call me, sir.
00:45:38I love you, General. I think you'd be the guy I'm looking for.
00:45:42I want to know my name, Rayson McCain.
00:45:44And he is now the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
00:45:47and he's an highly respected man.
00:45:50And we defeated, I think, ISIS.
00:45:52They said, How long in Washington?
00:45:55Sir, it will take four years to defeat them, maybe five.
00:45:59And maybe we won't, because they don't want them in the White House.
00:46:02And then I met a man that said we could do it in three weeks,
00:46:05and we did it in three weeks.
00:46:07And that's why he's the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff right now.
00:46:11And we did things that nobody thought were possible.
00:46:14We've had great military success.
00:46:16When you have the right leader and you have the right people,
00:46:19and we have the right people, you can have tremendous success.
00:46:23Six, never lose your faith in America and the American people,
00:46:27because they're always going to be there for you.
00:46:30I went through a very tough time with some very radicalized, sick people.
00:46:36And I say I was investigated more than the great, great Alfonso Capone.
00:46:42Alfonso Capone was a monster.
00:46:44He was a very hardened criminal.
00:46:46I went through more investigations than Alfonso Capone.
00:46:50And now I'm talking to you as president.
00:46:52Can you believe this?
00:46:54Can you believe it?
00:46:59So you've got to fight hard.
00:47:00You've got to never give up.
00:47:02And don't let bad people take you down.
00:47:06And let them take them down.
00:47:08A lot of bad people out there.
00:47:10Those people you have to figure out.
00:47:12But you also have a lot of great people.
00:47:14Finally, hold on to your culture and your traditions,
00:47:17because that's what makes something really great.
00:47:20And that's what's making Army great, the culture and the tradition.
00:47:25Whether we're talking about a battalion, a business, a sports team,
00:47:30a nation, history has shown that, in many ways, culture is destiny.
00:47:35So do not let anyone destroy the culture of winning.
00:47:39You have to win.
00:47:41Winning is a beautiful thing.
00:47:44Losing, not for us.
00:47:47Not for anybody here.
00:47:49If it was, you wouldn't be here.
00:47:51From the earliest days of our nation,
00:47:53this supreme tradition of American military service
00:47:57has been passed down from soldier to soldier and generation to generation.
00:48:03It's a beautiful thing to watch.
00:48:05Graduating today is cadet Ricky McMahon, Ricky's great-grandfather.
00:48:13Stand up wherever you are if you can get here like this.
00:48:17Ricky's great-grandfather served in World War I.
00:48:21His grandfather served in World War II.
00:48:25His uncle, father, and mother all graduated from West Point.
00:48:30Where is Ricky?
00:48:36In 2004, when Ricky was just a little, little tiny boy,
00:48:42don't think about that, Ricky, a little tiny boy.
00:48:45His dad, Lieutenant Colonel Martin McMahon,
00:48:48made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation in Afghanistan.
00:48:53Today, Lieutenant Colonel McMahon rests not far from here
00:48:58at the West Point Cemetery.
00:49:00Last year, two decades after losing his father,
00:49:03Ricky placed a gold chip from his dad's 1985 class ring
00:49:09into a crucible along 87 other rings
00:49:14within a past West Point branch that were melted down to forge
00:49:20what is now worn by the Class of 2025.
00:49:24Do you know what they were?
00:49:27I want one.
00:49:30Ricky, I want one.
00:49:32Each of you will carry Michael's memory with you always as you continue
00:49:36the legacy he gave you and gave you,
00:49:39something that would be so proud of you, so proud of his parents.
00:49:44He looks down.
00:49:46To Ricky and his mom, Jeanette, you embody
00:49:49what this place is all about.
00:49:51And I know Michael.
00:49:53He's up there.
00:49:54He's smiling broadly.
00:49:56He's so proud.
00:49:57He's so proud of you today.
00:49:58You know that.
00:50:00And he's a man that couldn't be any easier,
00:50:03a man that couldn't be more proud.
00:50:05I just love that story.
00:50:08Everybody's ring, they're going to remember you.
00:50:10They're going to remember your family.
00:50:12And most importantly, you're going to remember a great tradition.
00:50:15A great tradition of West Point and of winners.
00:50:19Thank you very much.
00:50:20It's great to meet you.
00:50:22You can sit down.
00:50:23You want to come up?
00:50:24You want to come up?
00:50:25Come on.
00:50:26Come on.
00:50:27Come on.
00:50:29That's nice.
00:50:35You're a handsome guy.
00:50:38They're all going to look at you.
00:50:40I don't know what's going on.
00:50:41The whole crowd is beautiful.
00:50:44Thank you very much.
00:50:55I'd like to thank my mother.
00:50:57I'd like to thank my family.
00:50:59And I'd like to thank G3 Go-Go-Go.
00:51:12What's going on over there?
00:51:14Looks like a whole bunch of male models.
00:51:16I can't stand it.
00:51:23For two and a half centuries, the Republicans didn't do it because of heroes like Michael.
00:51:29It laid down their lives for America because young people like all of you have picked up the
00:51:37banner service and carried forward the flame of freedom from Lexington to Yorktown, from
00:51:45Gettysburg to Sicily, and from Inchon to Lujan.
00:51:52America has been won and saved by an unbroken chain of soldiers and patriots who ran to
00:52:00the sound of the guns, leapt into the maw of battle, and charged into the crystal of fire to
00:52:08seize the ground of victory, no matter the odds, no matter the costs, no matter the danger.
00:52:15All over the world, our soldiers have made sacred the ground where they shed their blood and
00:52:22showed their valor.
00:52:24From Seminary Ridge to San Juan Hill, Bellevue, Omaha Beach, Lake Day Golf, Arden Forest,
00:52:35Josephine Reservoir, and even a place called Orchard Hill.
00:52:42And in all of those battles and so many more, some of the best riders and brave men have come
00:52:48from right here at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, one of the great fabled places
00:52:56anywhere in the world.
00:52:58America's Army has never failed us, and with leaders like the West Point Class of 2025,
00:53:05the Army will never fail.
00:53:08We will never let you down.
00:53:11And over the last week, I had the honors to get to the heads of many countries, and they would say,
00:53:28two weeks ago, they said, sir, we're celebrating the victory today of World War II.
00:53:40And I said, wow, that's nice.
00:53:43And I called another one, unrelated, sir, we're celebrating the victory of World War II.
00:53:50And I called our President of France or something also unrelated.
00:53:55He said, sir, we're celebrating our victory over World War II.
00:53:59I said, wow, what a feeling.
00:54:05We hope they're black.
00:54:09And I had this Russian, Dr. Putin, about 8 p.m., terrible war that's going on,
00:54:17and he said they had a big victory march, and they did lose in all affairs 51 million people.
00:54:24But they were all celebrating.
00:54:26The only country that wasn't celebrating was the United States of America,
00:54:31and this is amazing.
00:54:33We were the ones that won the war, and we were helped.
00:54:37We were helped.
00:54:38In some cases, we had to help them.
00:54:40But we were helped by several nations, and we were certainly helped by a couple of them.
00:54:47But every one of them was celebrating that victory day.
00:54:50They called it Victory Day in Europe, Victory Day in Europe.
00:54:54And we weren't even thought about.
00:54:58Nobody had a victory day, so I named that special day and another special day from now on
00:55:06as a holiday, but a holiday where we work,
00:55:09because we don't have enough days.
00:55:11We're going to be having so many holidays, we're not going to be able to work anymore.
00:55:15But I named it the World War II, and a separate day in November, as you know, the World War I.
00:55:24I said, you know, all these countries that participated in the war are celebrating,
00:55:29but the greatest country of all, and the country that won the war, nobody even talked about.
00:55:36And so what are we talking about from now on?
00:55:39And I think you'll appreciate it.
00:55:41We won the first world war.
00:55:43We won the second world war.
00:55:45And you know where we won them from?
00:55:47Right here at West Point.
00:55:49West Point won the war.
00:55:52We won two world wars and plenty of other things.
00:55:57You wouldn't think of it.
00:55:59We don't want to have a third world war, but we won the first world war.
00:56:03We won the second world war right here from West Point, and that's something.
00:56:08And we're going to be talking about it.
00:56:10You know, they can talk about it, and in some cases, as you know, they didn't do too much to help.
00:56:15They were ground down, but they were celebrating victory.
00:56:20Now, we're going to celebrate victory because we're the ones that won that war.
00:56:24I'm standing before you today.
00:56:26I know that you will never stop.
00:56:29You will never quit.
00:56:31You will never yield.
00:56:32You will never retire.
00:56:34You will never, ever, ever surrender.
00:56:37Never give up.
00:56:38Remember that.
00:56:39Never give up.
00:56:40It's another little factor in your head.
00:56:42Never, never give up.
00:56:44Raise your right hand.
00:56:46I pledge I will never, ever give up.
00:56:49You can never give up.
00:56:51You can never give up.
00:56:53You're not going to be successful because you'll go through things that will be negative.
00:56:58Great moments can be bad moments.
00:57:00You can never give up.
00:57:01Through every challenge and every battle, you'll stay strong.
00:57:06You'll work hard.
00:57:07You'll stay tough.
00:57:09And you will fight, fight, fight, and win, win, win.
00:57:14So I want to just congratulate you all on going back now to deal with Russia, to deal
00:57:26with China, and to get you lots of victories.
00:57:37We're going to keep winning.
00:57:38This country is going to keep winning, and with you, the job is easy.
00:57:41I want to thank you all.
00:57:42Congratulations to the Class of 2025.
00:57:46God bless you all.
00:57:48Incredible people.
00:57:49Thank you very much, everybody.
00:57:51Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, please remain standing for the presentation of the
00:58:20class gift.
00:58:22The class president, Cadet Catherine LaRue, will present a panoramic photo of the Class
00:58:27of 2025 to the president.
00:58:31Cadets, welcome.
00:58:33On behalf of the class of 2025, I would like to present to you this class photo as a token
00:58:39of appreciation for your hard work today.
00:59:01Hey, attention.
00:59:03Hey, present arms.
00:59:09Hey, present arms.
00:59:14Left, attention.
00:59:17Left, attention.
00:59:19Left, attention.
00:59:21Left, attention.
00:59:23Left, attention.
00:59:25Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the departure of the president.