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Trump Decries Nation-Building in West Point Address

State of the Union: The president reiterated themes from his Riyadh address earlier this month.
Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump Campaigns In Pennsylvania
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President Donald Trump on Saturday condemned nation-building and woke ideology in the commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

“For at least two decades, political leaders from both parties have dragged our military into missions it was never meant to be [in],” the president 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 at home.”

“All of that is ended,” Trump declared.

Trump’s speech emphasized promoting peace with other nations, rather than enmity. “My preference always will be to make peace and seek partnership, even with countries with which our differences may be profound,” Trump said.

In decrying nation-building abroad, Trump’s address reiterated the major theme of his speech in Riyadh earlier this month. 

Trump also struck more militaristic notes common in service academy commencements. “You will become officers of the greatest and most powerful army the world has ever known," Trump told the graduating cadets. “And I know, because I rebuilt that army, and I rebuilt the military. And we rebuilt it like nobody has ever rebuilt it before in my first term.”

“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.”

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