President Donald Trump ripped US diversity and inclusion policies, knocked NATO, and took credit for building up the military on Saturday in a campaign style commencement speech at the prestigious West Point Military Academy in New York.
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President Donald Trump delivered a campaign-style commencement address at West Point Military Academy on Saturday, sharply criticising US diversity and inclusion policies, NATO, and taking credit for strengthening the military during his tenure.
Wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, Trump blended his political views with military themes, asserting that he had rebuilt the armed forces “better than ever” and eliminated “social experiments” such as critical race theory education and support programs for transgender soldiers. He also claimed responsibility for increased military recruitment.
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Defending his isolationist approach and skepticism toward longstanding alliances, Trump argued that US leaders over the past 20 years had needlessly involved the military in foreign conflicts that wasted resources and lives. He criticised military leadership for being clueless in overseas operations.
Trump concentrated on removing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies intended to boost representation of racial and sexual minorities, including women, in the military ranks. This effort has extended to pulling numerous books on the history of racism from military academy libraries.
Addressing the graduates, Trump said previous administrations had burdened soldiers with “absurd ideological experiments,” pursuing social and political agendas while neglecting border security. “All of that’s ended. You know that,” he declared. “They’re not even allowed to think about it anymore.”
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