President Biden will address the graduating class at the United States Military Academy, West Point, on Saturday, delivering a commencement address at one point during military commencement ceremonies. fluctuations abroaduniversity protest at home and a blur White House rematch with former President Donald J. Trump.
Mr. Biden is expected to congratulate the Army’s newest officers, describe the global challenges the military faces and remind cadets of the oath they took — not with president that with the Constitution, according to a person familiar with the speech requested. anonymous because he was not authorized to discuss it.
Aides said Mr. Biden hoped to use the moment to draw a sharp contrast with Mr. Trump, whose commencement speech at West Point in 2020 drew criticism from even from some in the ranks of academia because of what they say Mr. Trump did it. Trump’s desire for personal loyalty from those around him.
Saturday morning’s speech will mark Mr. Biden’s third time as West Point’s commencement speaker, after two appearances as vice president. During his first three years as president, he spoke at the graduation ceremonies of the Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force.
The president’s return to the Army’s elite educational institution will give him a university setting far removed from the student protests over his handling of the war in Gaza. Polls show deep concern about the president among young people, raising questions about his chances of reelection in the fall.
At West Point, an hour north of New York City, he will speak to about 1,000 neatly dressed cadets, each wearing their signature gray uniform and white gloves, at Michie Stadium.
Several presidents have used the podium at West Point to announce new military doctrines or announce major initiatives. In 2002, President George W. Bush used your starting address was there to justify America’s war against Iraq after the September 11 attacks nine months earlier, telling cadets: “We must fight the enemy, disrupt his plans, and confront him. Get ahead of the worst threats before they emerge. ”
Aides said Mr. Biden does not plan to make major foreign policy announcements on Saturday. But his message to graduates may echo a central theme of his re-election campaign, despite the absence of any mention of Mr. Trump’s name or direct appeal of the year. election for newly selected officers and their families.
Mr Biden has argued that democracy is at stake in the upcoming presidential election and that basic institutions of government – including the military – would be at risk if Mr Trump is allowed back into the Election Office. sex.
Mr. Trump gave his speech at West Point just months after Mark T. Esper, then Secretary of Defense, and Gen. Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, walked with him through the Park. Lafayette is close to the airport. White House in the context of police and military harsh repression of Black Lives Matter protests after the death of George Floyd.
In an open letter to West Point graduates, former members of the academy urged them to remember where their duty lies.
“We pledge to serve no king; no government; no political parties; there are no tyrants,” West Point alumni wrote to their successors. “Your oath is to uphold the set of principles and ideals expressed in the Constitution and its amendments.”
Mr. Biden’s speech came as he grappled with the consequences of two brutal wars abroad, in Ukraine and Gaza. He has pledged that he will not deploy American forces on the ground to any conflict. However, both have drawn the United States deeper into the conflict by providing weapons, diplomatic support, and humanitarian relief.
And there are other threats lurking: the risk of China plotting to take over Taiwan; attacks from Iran such as the missile attack on Israel that the United States helped prevent; and instability across parts of Africa, Central and South America.
Mr. Biden also hopes to avoid the stumbles that often occur during the president’s appearances at the inauguration.
During his 2020 speech at West Point, Mr. Trump was seen clumsily drinking wine with both hands and then walking very slowly down a ramp. Videos of both of these moments spread across social media, raising questions from some of his critics about his health and vitality.
Last year, Mr. Biden tripped while shaking hands with graduates at the Air Force Academy, an incident that aides later blamed on sandbags on stage. According to his aides, the president, who was 80 years old at the time, was quickly helped by many people and was “fine.”
