WEST POINT, N.Y. – Former President Donald Trump criticized previous U.S. presidents for deploying American troops in what he called “unnecessary wars” during a commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy on Saturday.
Speaking to the graduating class at West Point, Trump condemned the involvement of U.S. armed forces in prolonged foreign conflicts and pledged a renewed focus on border security and national defense. His remarks came as part of a broader critique of bipartisan military strategy over the last two decades.
“For at least two decades, political leaders from both parties have dragged our military into missions it was never meant to be [in],” Trump said. “People would say, ‘Why are we doing this? Why are we wasting our time, money and souls in some cases?’”
Trump argued that prior administrations misused the armed forces by engaging in what he called ideological and nation-building ventures. “They sent our warriors on nation-building crusades to nations that wanted nothing to do with us,” he said, describing these efforts as misguided and harmful to military morale and capability.
He declared such policies over, stating, “All of that is ended.” The former president emphasized his administration’s redirection of military priorities, saying, “We’re getting rid of the distractions and focusing our military on its core mission: crushing America’s adversaries, killing America’s enemies and defending our great American flag.”
Focus on military role and national sovereignty
Throughout the speech, Trump linked his defense policy vision to border enforcement and opposition to overseas intervention. “A central purpose of our military is to protect our own borders from invasion,” he said. “Our country was invaded for the past four years.”
He also criticized what he described as social and political agendas imposed on the military, saying, “The job of the U.S. armed forces is not to host drag shows, to transform foreign cultures or to spread democracy to everybody around the world at the point of the gun.”
While promoting military strength, Trump said his preference was peace through strength: “As much as you want to fight, I’d rather do it without having to fight. I’d rather just look at them and have them fold. And that’s happening.”
The speech ended at 11:13 a.m. following his remarks to the cadets and a review of his administration’s military philosophy.
