‘How is this an appropriate topic’: West Point cadets totally silent as Trump rambles about bedroom tips and drag queen fears

When you imagine a graduation speech at West Point, you probably envision inspiring calls to service and heartfelt congratulations for the cadets who’ve spent years preparing to defend their country. What you don’t expect is a rambling lecture about “trophy wives,” personal regrets, and a presidential rant against drag shows.

Alas, Donald Trump has never been one to read the room—or the occasion. This weekend, the graduating cadets at the United States Military Academy found themselves subject to a commencement address that could best be described as a baffling mix of self-help seminar and culture war tirade.

First up was Trump’s ode to “momentum,” a concept he illustrated by recounting the downfall of William Levitt, a real estate developer who, according to Trump, lost his mojo after selling his company, finding a new wife (a so-called “trophy wife,” Trump noted with obvious relish), and ultimately declaring bankruptcy.

The cadets, presumably expecting a speech about leadership or service, instead got a morality play about the perils of chasing superficial happiness. Trump’s fixation on Levitt’s “trophy wife” was particularly awkward, as he launched into a bizarre tangent about how such arrangements “don’t work out too well” but might make you happy for “a little while.” Imagine sitting alongside your family, dressed in full military regalia, while the guest of honor waxes poetic about someone else’s failed marriages.

Having dispensed his bedroom wisdom, he pivoted to his real passion: railing against perceived enemies of his vision for America. This time, the villains were diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the military—along with, inexplicably, drag shows. Yes, drag shows. “The job of the U.S. armed forces,” Trump declared, “is not to host drag shows or transform foreign cultures.”

This statement, delivered with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, seemed to come out of nowhere. Was there a secret plot to replace the Army’s combat exercises? Who knows? What is clear, however, is that Trump saw fit to shoehorn his cultural grievances into an event meant to celebrate the hard work and dedication of the graduating class. Trump’s broader point—that the military should focus on its core mission of defending the nation—might have been valid if he hadn’t framed it in such a ham-fisted way.

Trump’s bombastic lines about crushing enemies and defending the flag were met with near silence. It was a stark contrast to his usual rallies, where his most over-the-top statements are met with roaring approval. Here, the cadets and their families seemed politely disinterested at best, visibly uncomfortable at worst.