‘ANTICIPATED’

15 West Point Cadets Diagnosed With COVID-19 After Returning for Trump Commencement Speech

The cadets had all been sent home in March over coronavirus concerns but returned last week for Trump’s upcoming speech.

At least 15 West Point cadets who returned to the military academy for President Trump’s upcoming commencement speech have tested positive for COVID-19, the U.S. Army has announced. The cadets had all been sent home in March amid coronavirus concerns, and West Point officials had expressed uncertainty about when the graduation ceremony would be. But then Trump unexpectedly announced in April that he would deliver a commencement speech in mid-June, a move that was criticized by some as a “reckless” political stunt. Col. Sunset Belinsky, an Army spokeswoman, said in a statement that the 15 cadets diagnosed with the coronavirus were immediately isolated and that the virus had not spread to others in the class of 1,106. “There is mandatory screening for all, and we’ve had a small number—about 1.5 percent—test positive. This was anticipated,” she said.