President Donald Trump's speech at West Point's 2025 graduation ceremony included a segment of the obvious script, which was obviously not part of it.
In the unscripted section, Trump made comments in the entire May 24, 2025 appearance wearing a bright red "Make America Great Again" campaign hat, hitting many of his frequent partisan political conversation points. These include attacking presidential predecessors Barack Obama and Joe Biden, describing American immigration as “criminals” and exaggerating other policy achievements during his first and second term.
On the campus of the first military academy in the United States, and among the American audience, many of which are veterans’ parties, the level of partisan work in a military environment is unusual.
The American Talk published several articles discussing the importance of democracy that separates military and partisan politics. These are three highlights of this coverage.
1. Students focus on the Constitution
During the pastry ritual, the graduates themselves swore to “support and defend the American Constitution to resist all foreign and domestic enemies.” All of them studied the meaning of this vow, including in classes such as Professors Joseph G. Amoroso and Lee Robinson, who graduated from Western Point and later served as professors there.
As Amoroso and Robinson wrote, these class teaching committees serve the Constitution and the American people, like all military personnel, rather than specific people or political parties:
"(o) Your oath forms the basis of nonpartisan morality. In the United States, unlike many other countries, oath means that military leaders should be trusted for their expertise and judgment, not for their loyalty to individuals or political parties. We emphasize that we emphasize the rules and professional expectations related to this far-reaching responsibility."
Read more: Military personnel vow allegiance to the Constitution and serve the American people - not a leader or political party
2. A tradition without cooperation
Retired U.S. Air Force Major Samuel C. Mahani (Samuel C.
“(s) George Washington’s time, the military has been committed to serving the country, not a specific person or political agenda. …(n) Partisan dispatch is at the heart of the military’s main mission to defend the country.”
If Trump's actions in his second term change with centuries of precedent: "Military personnel at all levels will face a crucial question: Will they defend the independent role of the military in maintaining integrity in American democracy and following presidential orders - even if those orders cross the people who make them illegal or unstructured?"
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqvoagh21vu[/embed]
Read more: Trump's sack of military leaders raises a crucial question for service members of all military ranks
3. Dating back to the establishment of the country
Marcus Hedahl and Bradley Jay Strawser are philosophy professors who teach military ethics respectively at the U.S. Naval Academy and Naval Graduate School, explaining the reason for this long-term focus is to separate politicians and politics from military action.
“To minimize the chances of military occupation they suffered during the Revolutionary War, the country’s founder wrote a constitution that required the president to be an elected civilian, commander-in-chief of the army. After World War II, Congress further reorganized the army, reorganized the army, and demanded that the secretary of the defense become civilians.”
As they observed, “…the makers always intend to use it as the army of the people, not the army of the president.”
Read more: Threat the 'enemy' with force: Military ethicists explain dangers to important American traditions
This story is a review of articles in the dialogue archive.