President Donald Trump declared that the days of “absurd ideological experiments” and military drag shows are over during his West Point commencement speech on Saturday.
Trump also blasted former administrations for “abusing soldiers with absurd ideological experiments” and “nation-building crusades.”
“For at least two decades, political leaders from both parties have dragged our military into missions it was never — meant to be,” Trump said. “People would say, why are we doing this? Why are we wasting our time, money, and souls in some case?”
Trump lamented that previous presidents had subjected the Armed Forces to “social projects and political causes.”
“They subjected the Armed Forces to all manner of social projects and political causes while leaving our borders undefended and depleting our arsenals to fight other countries’ wars,” Trump said. “But under the Trump administration, those days are over.”
“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 a gun,” Trump said. “The military’s job is to dominate any foe and annihilate any threat to America anywhere, anytime, in any place.”
Trump brought it up again later in his speech, saying there will be “no more critical race theory or transgender for everybody forced onto the brave men and women in uniform.”
“The job of the US Armed Forces is not to host drag shows, to transform foreign cultures, or to spread democracy … at the point of a gun,” says @POTUS.
“The military’s job is to dominate any foe and annihilate any threat to America — ANYWHERE, ANY TIME, and ANY PLACE.” pic.twitter.com/u1dv6mCAzQ
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 24, 2025
Trump said:
They sent our warriors on nation-building crusades to nations that wanted nothing to do with us, led by leaders that didn’t have a clue in distant lands, while abusing our soldiers with absurd ideological experiments here and at home. All of that’s ended. You know that. All of it’s ended. It’s ended, strongly ended. They’re not even allowed to think about it anymore.
They subjected the Armed Forces to all manner of social projects and political causes while leaving our borders undefended and depleting our arsenals to fight other countries’ wars. We fought for other countries borders, but we didn’t fight for our own border. But now we do. Like we have never fought before, by the way.
But under the Trump administration, those days are over. We’re getting rid of the distractions, and we’re focusing our military on its core mission, crushing America’s adversaries, killing America’s enemies, and defending our great American flag like it has never been defended before.
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 a gun. The military’s job is to dominate any foe and annihilate any threat to America anywhere, anytime, in any place.
A big part of that job is to be respected again, and you are, as of right now, respected more than any army anywhere in the world, and that’s happening. And I can tell you, you are respected like nobody can believe.
