A commencement speech Donald Trump gave at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy took a cringeworthy turn on Wednesday as the president began thirsting over the attractiveness of young cadets.
The 79-year-old Commander in Chief began the ceremony sticking to his script, praising the class of 2026 and the Coast Guard’s work in defending the country.
But things got weird about 10 minutes into the address, when Trump began paying tribute to individual college graduates.
One male cadet, who finished at the top of his class, was invited to shake the president’s hand, after which Trump mused: “I hate good-looking men.”
Trump then moved on to highlight another male graduate who “earned a perfect score on every fitness test.”
“This guy must be something. I think we’ll have to invite him up,” Trump said. “I want to check him out.
“Woah!” he added as the young man walked up to the stage. “Look at the muscles on this guy!”
The president then called up a female cadet, telling the audience: “If I didn’t invite her up, they’d accuse me of discrimination.
“I have to get her up here. She looks so fantastic. This is ridiculous,” he said as she approached.
The ceremony was the second time the president has delivered a commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut.
But this speech, unlike the one he delivered during his first term, comes as the Trump administration faces a backlash over the war in Iran and earlier military operations in Latin America, such as strikes against alleged drug boats off the coast of Venezuela.
But while commencement speeches are generally meant to be non-partisan, unifying rituals to celebrate academic achievement, an occasionally slurring Trump used his speech to talk up the war, hit out at the Biden administration’s immigration policies, and tease the prospect of running for another term in office.
“I’m gonna be here in ’28,” he said of the next presidential election.
“Maybe I’ll be here in ’32 too. I don’t know. Maybe I will.”
Such a move would be highly challenging given the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution legally limits any individual from being elected to the office of the president more than twice.
But concerns and conspiracy theories about a future power grab reignited this week after Trump revealed that he was quietly building a six-story fortress underneath the White House ballroom, featuring a military hospital, classified meeting rooms and top secret research facilities.
As for Trump’s advice to the Class of 2026?
“Never give up,” said the criminally convicted, twice-impeached, four times-indicted Trump, who is known for making one of the biggest political comebacks in history.
“Never surrender. Keep going. Keep fighting. And make the adversary quit first.”
