■ Donald Trump reminded West Point grads of their predecessors who fought slavery.

U.S. role as ‘policeman’ in world affairs rejected

WEST POINT. N.Y. — As the nation continues to grapple with its racial past, President Donald Trump urged West Point’s graduating class Saturday to never forget the legacy of soldiers before them who fought a war to end slavery.

He also thanked those in the military who helped the country respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

“What has historically made America unique is the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment,” Trump told more than 1,100 graduates at an outdoor ceremony. “When times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal.”

Trump also used his first West Point address to remind the newly commissioned officers of the academy’s history and storied generals such as Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

“It was on this soil that American patriots held the most vital fortress in our war for independence,” Trump said. He said the U.S. Military Academy “gave us the men and women who fought and won a bloody war to extinguish the evil of slavery within one lifetime of our founding.”

“This is your history. This is the legacy that each of you inherits,” Trump continued, adding that it was bought with American blood spilled in battle. “You must never forget it.”

Trump, however, was incorrect to say women had been trained at West Point for the antislavery fight; they were not allowed to become cadets until 1976.

During the commencement ceremony, protesters denounced the president from boats and kayaks along the nearby Hudson River.

In the speech, Trump leaned into his “America first” brand of foreign policy without uttering the phrase, telling the Army’s newest officers their job is “not to rebuild foreign nations, but to defend and defend strongly our nation from our foreign enemies.”

“It is not the duty of U.S. troops to solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands that many people have never heard of,” Trump said.

He said America is not the “policeman of the world” but warned adversaries that it will “never, ever hesitate” to act when its people are threatened.

Alex Brandon The Associated Press President Donald Trump applauds as Army helicopters fly over and West Point cadets toss their caps into the air at the end of commencement ceremonies Saturday on the parade field at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.

John Minchillo The Associated Press President Donald Trump speaks at U.S. Military Academy commencement ceremonies Saturday in West Point, N.Y. Trump’s commencement speech to the 1,100 graduating cadets comes amid racial tensions and a global pandemic.