President Trump delivers commencement address at West Point academy
President Trump on Saturday delivered a commencement address to graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.
Video Transcript
DONALD TRUMP: Tomorrow America will celebrate a very important anniversary-- the 245th birthday of the United States Army. Unrelated-- going to be my birthday also. I don't know if that happened by accident. Did that happen by accident, please? But it's a great day because of that Army birthday.
And as you know, the Army's first commander-in-chief, General George Washington, called the fort that stood on this majestic point the most important post in America. Its strategic location on the Hudson River was vital to our war for independence. If British ships gained control of this river, they would have divided our young nation in two, so American soldiers stretched a massive metal chain across the waters of the Hudson, from West Point all the way to Constitution Island.
I saw a piece of that chain. It's incredible.
No enemy ship even dared try to cross. Every link in that great chain was formed from over 100 pounds of pure American iron, mined from American soil and made with American pride. Together, those links formed an unbreakable line of defense.
Standing here before you more than two centuries later, it is clearer than ever that General Washington's words still hold true. West Point is still the indispensable post for America-- the vital ground that must not lose. And the survival of our nation still depends on the great chain reaching out from this place, one made not of iron, but of flesh and blood, of memory and spirit, of sheer faith and unyielding courage.
Today each of you becomes another link in that unbroken chain, forged in the crucible known as the United States Military Academy, the greatest on Earth. It has given you soldiers that you can rely on to your right and to your left. And now we are entrusting you with the most noble task any warrior has ever had-- the privilege to carry out the task of preserving American liberty.
As long as you remain loyal, faithful, and true, then our enemies don't even stand a chance. Our rights will never be stolen, our freedoms will never be trampled, our destiny will never be denied, and the United States of America will never be defeated. With the grace of God and the heroes of West Point, America will always prevail.
Nothing will stand in your way, nothing will slow you down, and nothing will stop the West Point class of 2020 from achieving a true and lasting victory. God bless you, God bless the United States Army, and God bless America. Congratulations. Thank you very much. Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
