West Point cadets deserved better
The president made a mockery of this year's military academy commencement
With his made-in-China campaign merch cap plopped atop his head, Donald Trump told West Point cadets that he intends to shred the Constitution that they now embark on lives of duty and service to defend.
In an address that was more MAGA rally than commencement speech, the commander in chief of the United States military bragged that his election “mandate” means, “now we can do whatever we want.”
Sitting quietly with their dress uniform caps in their laps as a sign of deference and respect, cadets were treated to a rambling speech about drag shows, transgender athletes, elimination of diversity in the military, Trump’s legal woes, golf and real estate development, praise for Middle Eastern dictators, trophy wives, Al Capone, 5th Avenue cocktail parties, immigration and deportation, and South African golfer Gary Player, not necessarily in that order.
When he did manage to focus on the 1,000 graduating cadets, praise for them quickly devolved into praise for himself. “You’ll become officers in the greatest and most powerful army the world has ever known,” he said. “And I know because I rebuilt that army and I rebuilt the military. And we rebuilt it like nobody has ever rebuilt it before in my first term.”
The cadets, who leave the military academy with commissions in the Army, are expected to serve a minimum of five years. They graduate with bachelor of science degrees and the expectation that they will give a lifetime of selfless service to the nation. Admission standards are so rigorous, both academically and in terms of character development, that few cadets enter the academy with less than a 3.9 GPA.
So it’s likely the vast majority of them were able to do the simple math that disproves Trump’s ridiculous claim that during his predecessor’s term, “… we had years and years of recruiting shortfalls, and just last year was the worst of all, the last year of the Biden administration. We couldn’t get anybody to join our military.”
Every one of the cadets knew he wasn’t telling the truth. Every member of the military on stage and among the audience knew he was lying. Every family member knew it, too. Because every cadet graduating West Point on Saturday entered the military while Biden was president.
The litany of Trump’s cringe-inducing statements is far too lengthy to recount here, but Roll Call has published a transcript of the full speech.
At no point in the hour-long speech does Trump more fully display his true character than in the following exchange.
After criticizing American military efforts in foreign wars, the president called out to a graduating cadet and his family, noting the family’s long history of military service, including that of the cadet’s father, who lost his life while serving in Afghanistan.
Cadet Ricky McMahon’s father, Lt. Col. Michael McMahon was killed in action in 2004 when Ricky was, as Trump put it, “a little, little tiny boy.” McMahon was laid to rest in the West Point Cemetery.
Twenty years later, a shaving of gold from McMahon’s 1985 class ring and those of 87 other West Point graduates were melted down to make the rings worn by this year’s class.
“I want one,” Trump said. “Ricky, I want one.”
Ricky McMahon grew up without knowing his father because in his family, honor and sacrifice mean more than gold. A great-grandfather fought in the first World War. A grandfather in the second. An uncle, as well as both his parents, graduated from West Point.
They didn’t live in a New York penthouse with gilded, mirrored walls a la the Palace of Versailles.
The life of Ricky McMahon’s family was built on honor, duty and a sacred oath. It is something Donald Trump will never understand.
By asking for that ring, Trump turns himself into a beggar of stolen valor.
The graduating West Point cadets this year deserved better. So does America.
The future leaders of our military deserved to be lifted up and inspired by someone who loves this country and its constitution as much as they do. Not someone whose stated goal is to turn the White House into a lifetime home as a palace for a king.
The American people deserve to go to sleep at night with the peace of mind that their democracy will still exist when they wake up in the morning, not stolen by an autocrat hell bent on obliterating due process and the rule of law.
No Kings Countdown
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(Until June 14, the day of Donald Trump’s planned authoritarian military parade and (not coincidentally) nationwide protests against tyranny, The Labor Party plans to talk about how un-American it is to aspire to be a king. The Labor Party is built by and for working people. We fight for policies that put people over profits. Ours is a grassroots movement fighting for real change. For inquiries, contact Labor Party Media Secretary Neel Sawicky at media@votelabor.org.)