Donald Trump’s Liberty University Commencement Speech
On May 13, 2017, Donald Trump gave his first commencement speech as president, at the 2017 Liberty University ceremony.
At the ceremony, Liberty University President, Jerry Falwell, Jr., presented Trump with an honorary law doctorate.
Falwell was Trump’s first choice for US secretary of education. Falwell was not willing to make a four-year commitment to the position. However, in February 2017, Falwell agreed to lead an education task force assembled by Trump.
An advanced copy of Trump’s remarks was purportedly made public on Friday, May 12, 2017, on Mashable.com. However, given Trump’s penchant for veering from preplanned remarks, I have transcribed Trump’s actual remarks based upon the 32-minute White House video of the event, included below.
Below is approximately half of Trump’s speech. Trump vacillated between reading his prepared remarks and offering impromptu commentary. At the end of the 17-minute transcription below, I have included a link to the entire 32-minute transcription.
In many cases, Trump’s own life decisions conflict with his advice to graduates. In some cases, he even contradicts himself within the speech, and he seems to believe that Liberty University graduates are his forever supporters.
I am reading the biography, Trump Revealed. One statement that stands out to me from my reading earlier today concerns Trump’s business practices. Commercial broker, Stephen Ifshin noted that Trump “burned through people.”
I could go on, but I will refrain.
My chief purpose in transcribing Trump’s speech is to make it easily accessible to the public.
Here we go:
Congratulations to the Class of 2017. That’s some achievement. This is your day, and you’ve earned every minute of it, and I’m thrilled to be back at Liberty University. I’ve been here, this is now my third time, and we loveDonald Trump’s Liberty University Commencement Speech | deutsch29:
