On May 25, 2025, at the commencement ceremony of the United States Military Academy at West Point in New York, President Donald Trump delivered an impassioned speech criticizing the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies and the service of transgender individuals in the military, while also taking aim at NATO regarding defense spending.
President Trump stated, “The duty of the U.S. armed forces is not to put on a fashion show or adopt foreign cultures but to eliminate any forces that pose a threat to the United States at any time, in any place, and overpower any enemy.”
Since returning to the White House in January, President Trump has revoked DEI programs within the military and various government departments.
Addressing the 1002 graduating cadets at the academy, President Trump announced that the Department of Defense “has liberated our troops from divisive and demeaning political training, no longer will critical race theory or transgender ideology be imposed on our brave men and women in the military, or on anyone else in this country.”
In January, the Pentagon suspended gender confirmation medical services for transgender service members following President Trump’s executive order, and in May, began screening for gender dysphoria during routine medical exams to separate transgender individuals from military service. A recent internal military guidance document revealed that the U.S. Army will update records of transgender soldiers to reflect only their assigned sex at birth. The document states, “Commanders will take immediate steps to update personnel files and administrative systems to reflect the biological sex of all individuals.”
This was President Trump’s second address to West Point graduates along the Hudson River. He previously spoke here in 2020 during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Trump has been a staunch supporter of the military and has undertaken reforms in the Department of Defense and other government agencies. Additionally, he once again criticized NATO allies over defense spending.
(Adapted from a report by Reuters)