At West Point, Trump stresses unity, nation's core values

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE

WEST POINT. N.Y. (AP) — President Donald Trump is highlighting the diversity of West Point’s graduating class and appealing for America’s newest officers to uphold the country’s core values, a speech emphasizing unity at a time when the commander in chief’s relationship with military leaders has become strained and questions have arisen about the role of soldiers in a civil society.

``You have come from the farms and the cities, from states big and small, and from every race, religion, color, and creed. But when you entered these grounds, you became part of one team and one family, proudly serving one American nation,? Trump says in prepared remarks released by the White House before his address.

Trump’s commencement speech to the 1,100 graduating cadets during a global pandemic comes as arguments rage over his threat to use American troops on U.S. soil to quell protests stemming from the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

The president tells the Class of 2020 that “you became brothers and sisters pledging allegiance to the same timeless principles, joined together in a common mission: to protect our country, to defend our people, and to carry on the traditions of freedom, equality and liberty that so many gave their lives to secure.” He said they “exemplify the power of shared national purpose to transcend all differences and achieve true unity. Today, you graduate as one class, and you embody one noble creed: duty, honor, country.”



President Donald Trump walks out of the Superintendent's House accompanied by Superintendent of the United States Military Academy Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams, to speak to over 1,110 cadets in the Class of 2020 at a commencement ceremony on the parade field, at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., Saturday, June 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)


Read more: https://apnews.com/4ccfc285f9300d1d6d79aaae797fb471

[William Seger]

1. Self-obsessed sociopath doesn't care how many of them get sick

... they're just extras in the Donald Trump Show.

[onetexan]

24. spot on, all to present himself as head of the military photo op, damn the cadets and families

[ananda]

2. This has a lot of racist, white supremacist code language in it.

"one America" for instance -- white America

For Trump, just the word America is code.

[Maribelle]

3. Too bad he cannot read above the 4th grade level.

The troops deserved better than this.

[PatSeg]

22. And those words that someone else wrote

don't naturally flow off his tongue - principles, traditions, freedom, equality, liberty, unity, diversity...............where are his favorites like tremendous, great, incredible, beautiful (usually used in weird context)?

[mpcamb]

32. The 3 syllable ones were somebody else's. They made trump practice those for hours.

[PatSeg]

35. It is almost humorous watching him

try to look dignified and presidential, but he is stiff and awkward tilting his head like a puppy every third or fourth word. He probably thought it was a great speech even though he didn't have a cheering audience like at his rallies.

What an embarrassment for us and those cadets.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. The graduates deserved to stay home, where they went weeks ago

Rather than dragged back, quarantined and tested for two weeks, all for Trump's photo op.

[dem in texas]

27. How much did all this cost?

Taxpayers had to pay for the graduates to return to West Point so our wannabe king could have his little ceremony. Makes me sick!

[Rhiannon12866]

36. Same here, the cost must have been exorbitant, like everything Trump does

Besides putting all of the graduates in danger...

[LudwigPastorius]

5. "President Donald Trump is highlighting..."

President?

That's "Six-Star General Field Marshal Bonespur McBunkerBitch", to you, Sir!

[Jersey Devlin]

6. "Trump stresses unity, nation's core values"

Two issues he knows jack freaking squat about!

[Nasruddin]

7. Stresses

"Trump stresses unity, nation's core values"

There's a lot of truth right there in this headline, now that I think about it

[sarge43]

30. Even if in the unlikely event he did, unity and values are for losers.

He soils everything.

[hay rick]

8. Cadets join the bible as Trump props. nt

[Vinca]

9. This wasn't Trump, it was his teleprompter character. Real Trump will come out on twitter.

[not fooled]

17. Yeah

red don's handlers trying to staunch the flow from the gaping wound of his recent ultra disastrous behavior. Too little too late. We know what he is.

[IcyPeas]

26. precisely.

it's all a damn act... the whole thing. The Apprentice president and he is a loser who needs to be Fired!

[sakabatou]

10. Unity? Seriously? From this schmuck?

[keithbvadu2]

11. Trump's core values - If you get captured, I will ridicule you.

Trump's core values - If you get captured, I will ridicule you.

[sarge43]

31. "If you get captured, I will ridicule you."

If you're KIA, I will insult your family.

If you have combat PTSD or are wounded, I will call you weak.

[djacq]

12. Standby for the Campaign Ad.

Featuring his command audience. Props all.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

13. Some AP suckup wrote this steaming pile.

Unity? Core values? My fat pink ass...

[Totally Tunsie]

19. One of the retired military who was grading the speech

commented on MSNBC that this speech "could have been written and delivered by a fifth-grader standing on stage trying to impress his parents". Yup- summed it up pretty well!

[highplainsdem]

14. Left out: "Praises self. Suggests God had Trump born on the Army's birthday."

[CBHagman]

15. One cannot speak of "very fine people on both sides" or...

...suggest the chokehold is useful in certain situations or refer to "shithole countries" or falsely suggest that the nation's first African American president wasn't born in the United States or use a slur at a ceremony meant to honor the Navajo Code Talkers and then recite prepared remarks on unity and diversity and expect to be taken seriously. That is not happening, in this lifetime or any other.

[milestogo]

16. And what does he think our nations core values are... greed and deceit?

[friend of m and j]

18. Maybe his best speech

He must have hired a new speech writer.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

20. What does "best" mean when discussing Trump speeches?

Not obviously written by Stephen Miller? Just terrible instead of flamingly horrendous? The word "best" never applies to anything Trump does or says. "Slightly less disgusting than usual" is what passes for "best" in Trumpland.

[sarge43]

21. Some day he's going to turn to salt, lying like that.

Too late for that bs, BunkerBaby. We know what you are.

[Initech]

23. Yeah the guy who spends all day attacking the "do nothing democrats" on twitter is calling for unity

Right.

[keithbvadu2]

34. Trump's idea of unity is everyone adoring and agreeing with him.

Trump's idea of unity is everyone adoring and agreeing with him.

[TomVilmer]

25. Trump thanked "our National Guard ensuring the constitutional rule of law on our streets"...

Trump thanked "the men and women of our National Guard who respond with precision ... ensuring peace, safety, and the constitutional rule of law on our streets. ..."

[Doug.Goodall]

28. The military leadership will back Joe Biden over Trump.

If Trump thinks he can stay in the White House after he loses to Biden, the General Staff will remove him from the property.

[mpcamb]

33. I was hoping for a cuffed frog-march by Park Police.

[Skittles]

29. LOLOL

riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight