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CNN Live Event/Special
CNN Saturday Morning Table for Five. President Trump Hosts South African President at Oval Office and Falsely Claims White Farmers in South Africa Suffering Genocide; Trump Justice Department Charging Democratic Representative LaMonica McIver for Assaulting Law Enforcement at Protest Outside ICE Facility; Trump Justice Department Pays Millions to Family of January 6th Capitol Rioter Ashli Babbitt. President Trump Gives Speech to Cadets Graduating from West Point. Aired 10-11a ET.
Aired May 24, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, the Oval Office becomes a reality show soundstage, and foreign leaders become the bait.
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: Turn the lights down and just put this on. All I'm hearing is death, death, and they're chopping heads off, and it's horrible over there.
SIDNER: Plus, the administration charges a Democratic congresswoman for assaulting law enforcement while at the same time paying millions to the family of a January 6th Capitol rioter.
Also, the mouse telling "The View" ladies to stop being so critical as Donald Trump tries silencing media companies.
And he once pushed Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theories.
DAN BONGINO, FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR: This Epstein thing, there's more than meets the eye there.
SIDNER: But now --
BONGINO: I've seen the whole file. He killed himself.
SIDNER: -- tables turn when the deep staters run the state.
Here in studio, Montel Williams, S. E. Cupp, Jemele Hill, and Melik Abdul.
It's the weekend. Join the conversation at a "TABLE FOR FIVE".
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SIDNER: Good morning to you. I'm Sara Sidner in New York in for Abby Phillip. Call it whatever you want, an ambush, a reality show trap. But there's
a trend developing. President Trump is creating reality show conditions in the Oval Office. His contestants are world leaders who are unaware of what they're stepping into. We all saw Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the pile-on scolding he received for not saying "thank you" enough. Then Canada's new prime minister being told he should surrender his nation. And this week, South Africa's president got a multimedia lecture filled with false information for the world to see.
Here's the backstory. While Trump has rejected mostly all refugees from around the world, he decided to accept dozens of white South African farmers. Why? Well, he says there's a genocide there. There is not. The claim has been pushed by white nationalists for years and racist Afrikaners. But no country, nor any agency recognizes a genocide in South Africa. In the Oval spectacle, Trump falsely referred to images of white crosses as burial sites when they're just symbols. He also presented a picture claiming to be evidence of mass killings of white South Africans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: Look, here's burial sites all over the place. They're all -- these are all white farmers that are being buried.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: In a terribly ironic twist, that picture is actually from the Congo, where, by the way, there's a genocide going on. Critics say Trump is making the Oval into a literal bully pulpit at the expense and embarrassment of U.S. allies.
All right, I'm putting this out to the table. Jemele, I'm going to start with you. Is the president of the United States being radicalized by this false information, this misinformation that he is now sending out to the world? No one is checking, but then when you check as journalists, the information is incorrect that he's putting out there.
JEMELE HILL, CONTRIBUTING WRITER, "THE ATLANTIC": Well, we act like this is the first time he's ever put out incorrect information. I mean, he lies all the time. And because he floods the zone so much, sometimes it's hard to decipher through the mess.
But even behind the lies, I think there's a very clear message that is being sent. He sent that message because, as we know, South Africa, majority black, has been forever. The message seemed to be, see, this is what happens when you let them in charge, is that when they, and you know who I mean by "they," when black folks start running things or whatever, they will flip the script and start killing the white people. So he was sending a very direct message, I think, by trafficking in that misinformation.
And it's been debunked so many times. And when you think about the history of Apartheid, and especially where we used to stand as a nation, we were on the opposite side of that. And so now to welcome white Afrikaners under this lie is embarrassing. And to use the Oval Office to do this, I think this is something that historically is just such a shame and debacle, and it's completely reprehensible.
SIDNER: I see. How do you see it?
S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, yes, I mean, ditto to all of that. He cannot resist the fan fiction of phony white -- black majority murdering white farmers. He can't resist that. And we've seen that time and again with Central Park Five or whatever it is. He loves that story line.
[10:05:00]
And I think he sees it as useful for leaning into white anxiety, white fear. So he does it all the time.
I don't know if "radicalized" is the word. I don't think he actually cares if it's true or not. I think of someone radicalized as deeply believing some kind of conspiracy theory. I don't think he gives it that much thought, frankly.
But the interesting part will be to see if his white victims over there, the Afrikaners, will be useful props for his largely white base here. Believe me, I've been in the business of trying to get Americans to care about what happens over there for 20 years. It doesn't generally work. I don't know that his base is going to care about what's happening to white people over there, as much as it's actually happening. They elected him to care about white people here and their economic grievances. So, I mean, that's just sort of an interesting layer to it that, you know, we'll have to see play out if they if they end up being the useful props I think he believes they will be.
SIDNER: Montel, when you look at this on the whole and the story that is being told here, what is the message to Americans? Because he is literally not letting in people who are -- their lives are threatened in a genocide in Sudan, in the Congo. He even showed pictures of the Congo.
CUPP: Syria, Myanmar.
MONTEL WILLIAMS, TALK SHOW HOST AND ACTIVIST: That Oval Office debacle was just an opportunity for him to play to his base here that has the same amount of hate in their heart that he does. Let's get this clear. When you watch that press conference, he demeaned and was nasty, and this to the president. But as soon as the white billionaire started talking, changed it. So he made sure that his base recognizes that those people, those people should be talked down to. Those people don't deserve my respect, those people over there, just like those people over here that don't deserve our respect.
SIDNER: The person that you're talking about, there was a white billionaire businessman from South Africa, and there was -- he turned to his agricultural minister, who is also white, who told Donald Trump to his face during this meeting on camera, there is no genocide happening. This is not true. What you are saying is not true. And yet Donald Trump pushed back. So where are we here? MELIK ABDUL, MEMBER BLACK AMERICANS FOR TRUMP COALITION: It's one
thing to talk about, you know, come up with videos, which the administration has done and things that they printed out. But what I would like for the administration to do, as someone who supports the administration, if you truly believe this, that this is a case of genocide, then you're going to have to do more than show us the video. When you have not only the head of the ruling party, Ramaphosa, saying that this is not true, the M.P., I believe he's an Afrikaner himself who was over here, he said that this is not true. Outlets, independent outlets --
CUPP: He doesn't care.
ABDUL: And I was going there. I don't think that he cares that this is true, much like Donald Trump didn't care that whether or not Haitians were eating dogs and cats. I don't think that he's vested in that type of way. I do believe that this is a direct appeal to the woke right, who really have leaned in on this notion that white people are victims. And I think that that's what Donald Trump is playing to.
But I want to say, though, Donald Trump, and I will say my colleagues on the right, many friends that I have on the right, if you are willing to believe this about genocide, then anybody looking at the United States -- and this is what the left does, perpetuating this idea that police officers are rounding up or shooting, you know, gunning down black people in the streets. If you don't live here, you probably will believe that, because that's what the media say.
Well, that's not happening. Police officers aren't just gunning down black people in the streets here, much like white people in South Africa are not being killed because they're white. They are being killed, but they're not being killed because they're white. There's no evidence to point to that.
HILL: And it's across the board, too.
WILLIAMS: And it's across the board. It's because the gang violence there. What we should be talking about is how we export to other nations information about how you deal with gang violence. Remember, this is also a trading partner of ours and should remain that. But for some reason, people walk away from that thinking they are less than.
CUPP: Well, Donald Trump, just to psychologize this a little bit, Donald Trump desperately wants the respect of world leaders. He doesn't have it. That is so obvious. Putin can't believe his luck that he got such a gullible counterpart in America. He has not been able to end that war on day one. He has not been able to push for peace in Gaza. The E.U. countries are ignoring his tariff threat because they're like, well, we'll just wait. We'll just wait him out.
He desperately wants the respect, and I think that's why he resorts to some of these bullying antics in the Oval Office, because the only way he can get it is through strongarming. They don't respect him. They think he's a joke. They think he is the embodiment of Americas ugliest stereotypes.
[10:10:03]
So I think there's, there's an insecurity and a chip on his shoulder there when he's meeting with his counterparts. He wants something he knows he doesn't have. He won't get it. So he'll do what he can to strongarm it.
SIDNER: It's a really interesting point.
All right, ahead, we've got a lot more to talk about. The Trump Justice Department charges a Democratic congresswoman while giving millions to the family of a January 6th Capitol rioter. Plus, Disney bosses tell "The View" ladies to tone down the rhetoric. Hear what happened instead.
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[10:15:20]
SIDNER: Welcome back. Back the blue in the MAGA era may depend on your political colors. The Justice Department charging a Democratic congresswoman in these chaotic Newark protests outside an ICE facility. LaMonica McIver is accused of assaulting, interfering, and impeding law enforcement.
Now, on that same day, we learned that the Trump administration is paying nearly $5 million to the family of Ashli Babbitt, the capitol rioter who was shot and killed by an officer. Mind you, this comes after Donald Trump pardoned all the January 6th rioters, even if they assaulted police officers. Here's reaction from one of the former officers who was on duty that day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRY DUNN, FORMER U.S. CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER: They're attempting to rewrite what happened that day, and that continues with Donald Trump, with this Justice Department awarding Ashli Babbitt's family $5 million. That is coming from taxpayer money. Ashli Babbitt wouldn't have been there if Donald Trump would have accepted that the election was not stolen. So maybe Donald Trump should pay that $5 million himself instead of the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: Malik, I got to ask you, I mean, is the Republican Party still the party of law and order? When you look at the situation here, it's like we're in upside down land.
ABDUL: I think that we are. I think that the majority --
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Victor Blackwell. We're breaking into "TABLE FOR FIVE" because President Trump is speaking at the U.S. military academy at West Point in New York. He's about to address graduates at their commencement ceremony. Let's watch and listen.
(APPLAUSE) DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, I want to thank you very much. This is beautiful. I've been here many times going to high school not so far away. A good place. Also, a military academy, not quite of this distinction, but it was a lot of fun for me.
And I want to say hello, cadets. And on behalf of our entire nation, let me begin by saying congratulations to the West Point class of 2025. You are winners, every single one of you. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: And now we want you to relax. And I'm supposed to say at east, but you're already at ease. You're at ease because you made a great choice in what you're doing. Your choices in life have been really amazing. So this is a celebration, and let's have a little fun.
I want to thank your highly respected superintendent, General Steven Gilland, and he is really something. I got to know him backstage with his beautiful family, and his reputation -- his wife is just incredible. His reputation is unbelievable. And thank you very much. And your daughter is a winner also, just like everybody out there, a real winner. Thank you. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: I also want to thank your commandant, General R.J. Garcia, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, Army Chief of Staff General Randy George, Senator Ashley Moody, Representatives Steve Womack, Bill Huizenga, Pat Ryan, Mark Green, Keith Self, acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, and very much just all of the friends. We have a lot of friends in the audience today, and I just want to thank them all for being here. We have a tremendous amount of my friends. They wanted to come up and they wanted to watch this ceremony, and they wanted to watch you much more so than me. So I just want to thank so many people are here.
Over the past four years, an extraordinary group of professors, teachers, coaches, leaders, and warriors have transformed this class of cadets into an exceptional group of scholars and soldiers. And so let's give the entire group, the entire West Point faculty, the staff for their incredible love of you and outstanding devotion to the corps, let's give them a little hand.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: And importantly, we can't forget all of those people beaming with pride. Look at them in the audience. They're so proud. They're in the stands. So thank your parents, your grandparents, and family members who made this all possible for you. Thank you.
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[10:20:00]
TRUMP: And I think they must have done something right. Based on what I'm looking at. America loves our military moms and dads. Nearly one third of the cadets graduating are themselves the children of veterans. So to everyone with us this morning who served America in uniform, no matter your age, please stand so we can salute your service. We'd like to see who you are.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Congratulations. Great job. Every cadet on the field before me should savor this morning, because this is a day that you will never, ever forget. In a few moments, you will become graduates of the most elite and storied military academy in human history. And you will become officers in the greatest and most powerful army the world has ever known. And I know because I rebuilt that army, and I rebuilt the military.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: And we rebuilt it like nobody has ever rebuilt it before, in my first term. Your experience here at West Point has been anything but easy. But --
BLACKWELL: We're having a bit of a technical issue with the signal there. The president, speaking to 1,002 cadets at West Point at their graduation. We'll be working to get that signal back to you. But the president was just beginning to deliver his seemingly scripted remarks after some welcome and acknowledgments of people there in the stands there. Let's see if we have the signal back and we can return to the president.
TRUMP: -- because now you have another. It's a sad thing, isn't it? You know, you can't rest on your laurels no matter what. You just have to keep going. You take it, you take a little day off, and you go on to the rest because you have to have victory after victory after victory. And that's what you're going to have as you receive your commissions as second lieutenants. Each of you continues down the same hallowed path walked by titans and legends of U.S. military law. Giants like Ulysses S. Grant, John "Blackjack" Pershing, Dwight David Eisenhower, the one and only Douglas MacArthur, old "Blood and Guts" George Patton, and Stormin Norman Schwarzkopf. All great. So many more.
They and countless other patriots before you have walked out of these halls and straight into history. And today you officially joined those immortal heroes in the proud ranks of the long gray line. You know that term, so beautiful, the long gray line.
Among the 1,000 cadets graduating today, 26 of you wear the prestigious star wreath signifying the highest level of academic achievement. Please stand up, 26. Let's see if somebody stands who shouldn't be standing.
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TRUMP: Congratulations. That's a big honor. This class includes an incredible four Rhodes scholars. Stand up please, four.
(APPLAUSE) TRUMP: Wow. That's tied for the most of any West Point class since 1959. That's great, four. Congratulations. Boy, oh boy, oh, boy. I want to bring them right to the Oval Office. I don't want to have them go too far away from me.
Eight cadets here today took on the challenge of designing their own hypersonic rocket. Oh, we can use you. We're building them right now. You know, we had ours stolen.
[10:25:00]
We are the designer of it. We had it stolen during the Obama administration. They stole it. You know who stole it? The Russians stole it. Something bad happened. But were now, we're the designer of it, and we're now building them and lots of them. And earlier this year, they launched it into space, setting a world record for amateur rocketry. Can't get you in there fast enough. This class excelled not only mentally, but also physically. Last January, when more than 1,000 cadets volunteered for an 18.5-mile march on a freezing winter night, Cadet Chris Verdugo completed the task in two hours and 30 minutes flat, smashing the international record for the competition by 13 minutes. Where is he? Where is he? Come up here. Come up here, Chris, get up here, Chris.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: Wow! Come here. That's -- by 13 minutes. Come here, Chris. I want to see this guy. Say something. Come here, come here.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been a long five years, but I couldn't have done it without any of these guys. Love you guys all. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Wow. That's great. Keep it going Chris. That really is a definition of army strong, isn't it? Beat international, international. This class includes 513 graduates who completed air assault school, 70 who completed airborne school, eight who made it through the ultra-elite Army diver school among the most difficult and grueling programs anywhere on earth. That includes the first two women in West Point history to complete diver school, Cadets Megan Cooper and Clara Sabo. Where are you? Stand up.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Where are they? Wow. Great job. That is not easy. Congratulations, Megan, Clara. That's a job well done. Fantastic. Thank you very much.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Some of you achieved a different kind of distinction here at the academy, including seven century men who completed 100 hours of marching for disciplinary -- oh, no -- infractions. No. Don't tell me I'm doing this. Oh, I'm so sorry. Would you like to stand up? I don't know.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: I think I saw Chris standing up. Chris, what's going on here? Well, you had one good, one not so good, right? Chris? Can't believe Chris is standing up.
But we want everyone to leave here today, Chris. So you're going to be OK because they're going to do something with a clean slate. So in keeping with tradition, I hereby pardon all cadets on restriction for minor conduct offenses effective immediately. So you're all OK. You're all OK.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: The class of 2025 has a lot to be proud of, including your first rate athletes and athletics. You are something. I've been watching, too. I watch, I love the sports stuff. What you've done is pretty amazing. Last year, for the first time ever, Army lacrosse became the number one ranked men's lacrosse team in the entire country.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Think of that. Those of you on the team. Stand. That's a big honor. Stand.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Great. That's a tough sport too. That's number one in the country.
[10:30:00]
Your sophomore year Army football beat Navy 20-17. And the next year you did it again beating Navy 17 to 11 and dominating air force 23 to 3. But this year, the Black Knights fought your way into the top 20 nationally and racked up your longest winning streak since 1949 with the help of graduating quarterback Cadet Bryson Daily or, as you call him, Captain America. Captain America. Stand up, Bryson. Where is Bryson?
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: We got to get him up here, right? Come on, Bryson. Come on.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Man, oh man. I heard I heard he's some -- well, I came to a game and he was -- I said he can get into the NFL, can't he. But he chose this life. And you know what, I think he made a good choice. Come on up here, Bryson. Come on up. Wow.
(APPLAUSE) TRUMP: Congratulations. That is an honor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go Army football. Shout out the Hogs H-4. Can't wait to graduate. Love you guys.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Nice to meet you. Man. Great honor. Thank you. What a great guy.
Well, I just tapped his shoulders. It's like I hit a piece of steel. Guy's in good shape. There's a reason, you know, there's always a reason for success. Thank you, Bryson. At a time when other top college quarterbacks were thinking about going pro, Bryson's mind was on something else. As he told an interviewer earlier this year, I'm focused on my career as an infantry officer. That's what he wants to do. So, Bryson, you did the right thing. And that service at its finest. Thanks Bryson.
That's amazing. He's an amazing guy with an amazing team. Each of you on the field today is among the most talented members of your generation. You could have done anything you wanted. You could have gone anywhere. You could have gone to any school. This is one of the hardest schools to get into. And writing your own ticket to top jobs on Wall Street or Silicon Valley wouldn't be bad. But I think what you're doing is better. Instead of sports teams and spreadsheets and software, you chose a life of service, very important service. Instead of stock options -- and I do that stuff. It's sort of boring. Honestly, compared to what you're doing, it's real boring. You chose honor and you chose sacrifice. And instead of business suits and dress shoes, you chose muddy boots and fatigues, keeping yourself in shape.
Because West Point cadets don't just have the brightest minds, you also have the bravest hearts and the noblest souls. You're amazing people. I could not be more proud to serve you as your commander in chief, and our country is doing well. We've turned it around, very quickly we've turned it around.
I just got back from the Middle East, and I was at, as you know, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE. And I will tell you, they said, all three leaders, great leaders of those three nations, they all said the same thing. The United States of America is hotter now than we've ever seen it. And a year ago it was as cold as it gets. And it's true, it's true. We have the hottest country in the world, and the whole world is talking about it. And that's an honor for all of us.
I cannot wait to see the glory that is still ahead, however, for the West Point class of 2025. And we're going to help you a lot, because we're going to give you a nation as good or better than it ever was. That's what I promise you.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: All the victories that you've had together on these grounds will soon pale in comparison to the momentous deeds that you'll perform on the mission you're accepting today as a future leader of America's army. And we have that army geared up.
[10:35:00]
We have ordered, you know, we just went $1 trillion military budget, General. You know that, $1 trillion? Some people say, could you cut it back? I said, I'm not cutting 10 cents. There's another thing we can cut. We can cut plenty of others. Right, Dan? We can cut plenty of other things. And you have a good man in Dan, too, General.
I think you're going to find that it's a very different warfare out there today. Now, they've introduced a thing called drone. A drone is a little bit different. It makes you have to go back and learn a whole new form of warfare, and you're going to do it better than anybody else. There won't be anybody close. Generation after generation, the men and women of the Army have done whatever it takes to defend our flag, pouring out their blood onto the fields of battle all over the world. And all over the world you're respected like nobody is respected. Our soldiers have sprinted through storms of bullets, clouds of shrapnel, slogged through miles of dirt and oceans of sand, scaled towering cliffs of jagged rock. And time and time again, the American soldier has charged into the fires of hell and sent the devil racing in full retreat.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: No task has ever been too tough for America's army. And now that 250-year legacy of glory and triumph belongs to you, the 1,000 newest officers of the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. And that's what you are, and that's what you're being thought of. Again, you are the first West Point graduates of the golden age of America. This is the golden age. I tell you. Promise. We're in a new age. This is the golden age.
And you are going to lead the Army to summits of greatness that it has never reached before. And you see that, you see what's happening. You see what's going on in the world. Each of you is entering the officer corps at a defining moment in the Army's history. For at least two decades, political leaders from both parties have dragged our military into missions it was never meant to be. It wasn't meant to be. People would say, why are we doing this? Why are we wasting our time, money, and souls in some case? They sent our warriors on nation-building crusades to nations that wanted nothing to do with us, led by leaders that didn't have a clue in distant lands while abusing our soldiers with absurd ideological experiments here and at home. All of that's ended. You know that, all of it's ended. Its ended, strongly ended. They're not even allowed to think about it anymore.
They subjected the armed forces to all manner of social projects and political causes while leaving our borders undefended and depleting our arsenals to fight other countries' wars. We fought for other countries' borders, but we didn't fight for our own border. But now we do, like we have never fought before, by the way.
But under the Trump administration, those days are over. We're getting rid of the distractions and we're focusing our military on its core mission, crushing Americas adversaries, killing Americas enemies, and defending our great American flag like it has never been defended before.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: The job of the U.S. armed forces is not to host drag shows to transform foreign cultures, but to spread democracy to everybody around the world at the point of a gun. The military's job is to dominate any foe and annihilate any threat to America anywhere, anytime, in any place.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: A big part of that job is to be respected again. And you are, as of right now, respected more than any army anywhere in the world. And that's happening. And I can tell you, you are respected like nobody can believe.
As president, I am laser-focused on our core national interests. My preference will always be to make peace and to seek partnership, even with countries where our differences may be profound. As you know, we're working on a lot of things right now. When I left office four years ago, we had no wars. We had no problems. We had nothing but success.
[10:40:04]
We had the most incredible economy, the greatest -- single greatest economy for a president in history. I think we're going to beat it this time by a lot, if you want to know the truth. But we had something going on very special.
But if the United States or its allies are ever threatened or attacked, the army will obliterate our opponents with overwhelming strength and devastating force. That's why my administration has begun a colossal buildup of the United States armed forces, a buildup like we've never had before. Peace through strength, you know the term. I've used it a lot.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Because as much as you want to fight, I'd rather do it without having to fight. I just want to look at them and have them fold. And that's happening. That's happening.
And I've approved a $1 trillion investment, and that will be, again, the largest ever in the history of our country. And we are buying you new airplanes, brand new beautiful planes, redesigned planes, brand new planes, totally stealth planes. I hope they're stealth. I don't know. That whole stealth thing, I'm sort of wondering. You mean if we shape a wing this way, they don't see it, but the other way they see it? I'm not so sure. But that's what they tell me.
We have the best tanks anywhere in the world. We're going to start shipbuilding again. We're going to start -- we used to build a ship a day. Now we don't build them anymore. We had a lot of people that didn't know much about getting things built, but that's all I've done in my life is build. We're going to have the best missiles, we already do, drones, and much, much more.
And earlier this week, I think you'll like this, I announced that we are officially building all in America, made in America, designed in America, we're the only ones that could do it because were the only ones with the great technology, we're building the Golden Dome missile defense shield to protect our homeland and to protect West Point from attack. And it will be completed before I leave office.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: And you wouldn't think this, but our enemies are very unhappy about it. You've been hearing. You've been reading. Why are they doing that? Why? Well, we're doing it because we want to be around for a long time. That's why we're doing it.
We're also restoring the fundamental principle that a central purpose of our military is to protect our own borders from invasion. Our country was invaded for the last four years, and they've allowed people to come into our country that shouldn't be. They shouldn't be here. Criminals walked in, no vetting, no checking, no nothing. Where are they coming from? And they were taking people out of prisons. They were taking gang members. They were taking the mentally insane and allowing them to come in. And we're getting them out of our country. We have no choice. We're getting them out and bringing them back where they came from. We have no choice. And it's not easy. It's not easy. But hopefully the courts will allow us to continue.
We had the greatest election victory. This was November 5th, was we won the popular vote by millions of votes. We won all seven swing states. We won everything. We won 2,750 districts against 505, 2,750 against 505. We had a great mandate, and it gives us the right to do what we want to do to make our country great again. And that's what we're going to do.
And on day one, I deployed our military to the southern border. And since that day, we've reduced the number of illegal border crossings where there used to be hundreds of thousands of people coming into our country a day. We had nobody come in in the last week-and-a-half. We were at 99.999 percent, 99.999. Think of that. That was with the help of our military.
We had one person come in, one. You know why? He got very sick. We brought him through to have him brought to a hospital, one person. And for that, please don't hold me responsible. But that's OK. They did the right thing.
[10:45:01]
Gone are the days where defending every nation but our own was the primary thought. We are putting America first. We have to put America first. We have to rebuild and defend our nation. And very shortly you're going to see a nation better than it's ever been. And you see that with the trade. For years, we've been ripped off by every nation in the world on trade. Weve been ripped off at the NATO level. We've been ripped off like no country has ever been ripped off. But they don't rip us off anymore. They're not going to rip us off anymore. And you're seeing it.
You have to watch what we're doing on trade. I know it's not your primary thing, but it's quite important in all fairness. But watch, you'll see what's going on. You've been reading about it over the last few days. We're making deals with other nations that were not even, nobody thought it would be even possible. And the reason is very simple -- they respect us again. They're respecting our country again. That's what you want.
And everything we do, we are bringing common sense back to America. It's all about common sense. We can say we're liberal, we're conservative. The new word is "progressive." They don't like using the word "liberal" anymore. That's why I call them liberal.
But, but whatever you are, you know, most importantly, you have to have common sense, because most of it's, General, most of it's about common sense when you get right down to it. And we have a lot of people with a lot of -- lot of very smart people, but they have to have common sense.
And we've liberated our troops from divisive and demeaning political trainings. There will be no more Critical Race Theory or transgender for everybody forced onto our brave men and women in uniform, or on anybody else for that matter in this country.
And we will not have men playing in women's sports, if that's OK.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: I mean, I wouldn't want to have to tackle, as an example, Bryson, as a man, but I don't think a lot of women want to tackle him. I don't think so. How crazy is it men playing in women's sports? How crazy is it? So ridiculous, so demeaning, so demeaning to women. And it's over. That's over. Weve ended it.
And promotions and appointments will not be based on politics or identity. They'll be based on merit. We won that case in the Supreme Court of the United States. We're allowed to go back to a system of merit. Were a merit-based country again. Today --
BLACKWELL: All right, another technical issue there with the president's speech. Control room let me know if we get the president back there speaking to the 1,002 cadets at West Point. We've got him back? Let's watch.
TRUMP: -- anybody to join our military. We couldn't get anybody to join our police or firefighters. We couldn't get anybody to join anything. And right now, just less than a year later, we just set a brand-new peacetime recruiting record. The most, most people joined. And we are brimming. In fact, be careful, there's somebody's going to try and take your job. Be careful. You better be good. We are brimming with confidence and we're brimming with people. We had the most, best recruiting month that we've had in memory. Nobody remembers anything like it.
And that's all because they have spirit now. They have spirit. They have a spirit for our country. And now everybody wants to be doing what you're doing. Think of that. So it's really a great honor, I will say.
And I'm pleased to report that by next week, the Army is expected to surpass its recruiting targets for the entire year, something that hasn't happened in 28 years where we've had that. So that's pretty good.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: And it's nice to know that you're doing something that everybody wants to do. Isn't it really nice? It wasn't -- I hated to hear that. During the campaign, I was hearing that we couldn't get people to enlist. But now we're getting people. And it's sad because we're telling so many people, I'm sorry, we can't do it.
My administration is doing everything possible to forge the most powerful military ever built. But ultimately, the task of keeping America strong and safe in the years ahead is going to belong to you. Among you are the lieutenants, majors, colonels, and generals who lead the army for the next 10, 20, 30, and even 40 years.
[10:50:04]
So as commander in chief, let me offer a few words of advice as you begin your army careers. And I thought I'd do this, and I can make this to a civilian audience or to a military audience. It's pretty much the same. And I did this recently at Ohio State, and they really liked it. I gave them a little advice as to what I see for what you want to do, and some tips.
And first of all, and you've already done it, different from civilians, they're making their decision right now. You've already made your decision. I love your decision. You have to do what you love. You have to do what you love. If you don't love it, you'll never be successful at it. And you've done this, and you really, many of you in the audience, many of you that are graduating, you come from military backgrounds or you love the military. It's what you want to do. It's what you want to talk about.
One thing I see about people that love the military, that's all they want to talk about. I'll be out to dinner, and generals, if they if they love their job, usually the only good ones are the ones that want to talk about it all the time. But if they talk, that's what they want to talk about. I really, really, very rarely see somebody who's successful that doesn't love what he or she does. You have to love what you do. In your case, the military is what you chose. And I'll tell you what, you cannot go wrong. You're going to see it too. You're going to love it more and more with time.
I work all the time. That's all I do is I work, whether it's politically or, before that, I was a very good businessman, in case you haven't heard. Really good. But I was good because I loved it, I loved it. I learned from my father a little bit. My father was a happy guy, and all he did was work. He'd work Saturdays, Sundays. He'd work all the time. And he was a happy guy. He just loved life. And I learned that. I say, you know, it makes him happy. I've seen other people that never work, and they're not happy. But you got to love it. Otherwise, you won't be successful.
In the Army, there are a lot of different paths you can take, so follow your instincts and make sure that you take the path that you love, that you're doing something that you love within your military. You will be happier and the Army will be far stronger for it.
Second is to think big. Always think big. If you're going to do something, you might as well think big. Do it big, because it's just as tough, and sometimes it's a lot easier thinking big than doing a small task that's more difficult. One of your greatest graduates, General Eisenhower, used to say, whenever I run into a problem that I can't solve, I always like to make it bigger to solve it and solve more of it. If you're going to solve a problem, it might as well be a big problem as opposed to a small problem that lots of people can take advantage of and solve. So you can achieve something really amazing. Think big.
Third, though, you've got to do this. Brainpower you have to have. Potential you have to have. But to be really successful, you're always going to have to work hard. An example is a great athlete, Gary Player, great golfer. He wasn't as big as the other men that were playing against him. Great big, strong guys. Gary was a smaller guy. I don't want to say too small. He's a friend of mine. He gets a little angry at people because he hits the ball just as far. He said I hit the ball further than them. Why am I small? But he worked very, very hard. He was always doing exercise. He was always -- he was well ahead of his time. He never stopped. He won 168 golf tournaments. He won 18 Majors, nine regular and nine on the senior tour, 18 with 168. That's the most tournaments, internationally the most tournaments anybody's ever won.
But he made a statement years ago, and I heard it, I heard it. He's the first one. I think I've heard it a couple of times since, but he was the first. He said, it's funny, the harder I work, the luckier I get. Think of that, the harder I work, the luckier I get. And he worked hard and you're working hard, and the harder you work, the luckier you're going to get.
Fourth is don't lose your momentum. Momentum is an amazing thing. Keep it going. I tell a story sometimes about a man who was a great, great real estate man. He was a man who was admired for real estate all over the world, actually, but all over the country.
[10:55:00]
He built Levittowns. He started as a man who built one house, then he built two, then he built five. Then he built 20, then he built 1,000. Then he built 2,000 and 3,000 a year. And he got very big, very big. He was great at what he did. You see him all over the country still, Levittowns. This was a long time ago, but he was the first of the really, really big homebuilders. And he became very rich, became a very rich man.
And then he decided to sell. He was offered a lot of money by a big conglomerate, Gulf and Western, big conglomerate. They didn't do real estate. They didn't know anything about it. But they saw the money he was making. They wanted to take it a public company, and they gave him a lot of money, tremendous amount of money, more money than he ever thought he'd get. And he sold this company. And he had nothing to do. He ended up getting a divorce, found a new wife. Could you say a trophy wife? I guess we can say a trophy wife. It didn't work out too well. But it doesn't -- and that doesn't work out too well. I must tell you, a lot of trophy wives doesn't work out. But it made them happy for a little while at least.
But he found a new wife. He sold his little boat and he got a big yacht. He had one of the biggest yachts anywhere in the world. He moved for a time to Monte Carlo, and he led the good life. And time went by, and he got bored. And 15 years later, the company that he sold to called him. And they said, the housing business is not for us. You have to understand, when Bill Levitt was hot, when he had momentum, he'd go to the job sites every night. He'd pick up every loose nail, he'd pick up every scrap of wood. If there was a bolt or a screw laying in the ground, he'd pick it up and he'd use it the next day in putting together a house.
But now he was spoiled and he was rich. He was really rich. And they called and they said, this isn't for us, this business. We need to do other things. Would you like to buy it back? We'll sell it back to you cheap. And they did. He bought it. He bought it. He thought he made a great deal, and he was all excited. But it was 15 years later. He lost a lot of momentum. Remember the word "momentum". And he lost everything. It just didn't work. He lost everything.
And I was sitting at a party on Fifth Avenue one night a long time ago, and you had the biggest people in New York, the biggest people in the country, all in that party, and they were all saluting each other, how great they were. They were all telling each other, I'm greater than you. It gets to be really, gives you a headache sometimes. But they had all these people there telling their own stories about how fantastic -- a cocktail party. And I looked over, and I was doing well. I was -- I don't know, I was invited to the party, so I had to be doing well. I was very, very young. But I made a name in real estate.
And I looked over, and at the party sitting in a corner all by himself, nobody was talking to him, was Mr. Levitt. He had just gone bankrupt, lost everything. He lost everything. His home, everything. And I went over and talked to him because he was in the real estate business, and I loved real estate. And I said, hello, Mr. Levitt, how are you? He said, hello, Donald. It's nice to meet you. He knew me from being in the business.
I said, so how's it going? He goes not well. It's really not going well, as you've probably read. It's been a very, very tough period for me, son. And I said, so what happened? Anything you can do? He goes, no, there's not a thing I can do. He said -- I'll never forget. He said, I've lost my momentum. I just didn't have it. I used to have it, but I lost my momentum.
So it's a story I tell, and you have to know when you have the momentum. But sometimes you have to also know when you've lost the momentum. And leaving a field, sometimes leaving what you're doing sometimes is OK, but you've got to have momentum. But you have to know if that momentum is gone. You have to know when to say it's time to get out. And it's a very sad story. I remember that story so well, like it was yesterday.
Fifth, you have to have the courage to take risks and to do things differently. Eisenhower, again, was threatened with court martials as a young officer for advocating a new doctrine of tank warfare. Billy Mitchell was thrown out of the Army for pioneering the use of air power. They said, what do you mean, air power? Don't be ridiculous. People willing to try and do things differently, it's never going to be easy for them, but they're the ones that are going to really do the important things. They're the ones who are going to make history.
