President Donald Trump (R) was in Connecticut on Wednesday for the Coast Guard Academy commencement.
The Commander in Chief spoke for around 50 minutes to 266 graduates in New London.
“Just like those Coast Guard legends who came before you, you will always put America first,” Trump said. “We put America first now. We haven't done that for a long time, but we do that under the Trump administration.”
He praised them for their accomplishments, going off topic several times. Among the topics was his recent trip to China, the ongoing war in Iran and tariffs.
“This is my favorite word in the dictionary, my favorite word, the word tariff. And the fake news — look at all of them back there. They said, what about God? What about wife, family, what about other things, like the Bible? So I was in deep trouble because they said tariff is my favorite, so I made it number five, and now I'm okay.”
Trump repeatedly defended the war in Iran to the new military officers, reiterating his desire to keep the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“We're not going to let Iran have a nuclear weapon and blow up the entire Middle East, Israel, the entire Middle East, and then come here for you,” Trump said. “Not going to happen.”
The president, who is in his second term, also seemingly joked that he could still “be around” in 2032 to see the newest polar Icebreaker ships.
“Currently under construction, we have 11 beautiful, and I said, ‘Come on, when's the first one coming?’ They said, ‘In 28.’ I said, ‘I'm going to be here in 28. Maybe I'll be here in 32 too.’ I don't know, maybe I will,” Trump said.
Governor Ned Lamont (D) skipped the commencement, citing concerns that Trump would make the event too political. U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, whose district the Academy is based in, missed it for votes in D.C.
Republican gubernatorial candidate and State Senator Ryan Fazio (R-Greenwich) attended.
