--- title: Donald Trump: Commencement Speeches Include Trump Warnings description: Many commencement speakers have added a new topical piece of advice to their addresses this year: don't behave like Donald Trump canonical: https://time.com/4357088/2016-commencement-speakers-donald-trump/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-04T11:47:29.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:48:00.157Z article:section: Politics og:title: Commencement Speakers’ Advice for 2016 Grads: Don’t Be Like Donald Trump og:description: There's a new piece of popular advice for graduates og:url: https://time.com/4357088/2016-commencement-speakers-donald-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb2e7ea83ddc099ac/69889654656a3f750cbcbcb6/donald-trump-commencement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4791 og:image:height: 2695 og:image:alt: US-POLITICS-VOTE-TRUMP og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Commencement Speakers’ Advice for 2016 Grads: Don’t Be Like Donald Trump twitter:description: There's a new piece of popular advice for graduates twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb2e7ea83ddc099ac/69889654656a3f750cbcbcb6/donald-trump-commencement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Commencement Speakers’ Advice for 2016 Grads: Don’t Be Like Donald Trump > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: Obama's Commencement Speeches Over the Years [Watch (HLS stream): Obama's Commencement Speeches Over the Years](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FkJAzJXG.m3u8) (3:28)  _Published 2016-06-03_  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Jun 4, 2016 11:47 AM UTC  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally in San Jose, California on June 2. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally in San Jose, California on June 2. Josh Edelson— AFP/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Jun 4, 2016 11:47 AM UTC In the tradition of commencement speeches, repetition is inevitable. Year after year, influential speakers offer graduates a relatively familiar message, telling them to change the world while seizing opportunities and overcoming fears of failure. This year, many speakers have added a new topical piece of advice to the rotation: don’t behave like Donald Trump. Several 2016 commencement speakers—from actors to politicians—have admonished the Republican presidential nominee, mentioning him either directly by name or with references to his policies. With their speeches on Friday, both Michelle Obama and Matt Damon joined the mix. Some speakers have made reference to Trump’s repeated promise to [build a border wall](http://time.com/4237744/vicente-fox-donald-trump-wall-mexico/) and [get Mexico to pay for it](http://time.com/4281926/donald-trump-mexico-border-wall-explanation/), while others have referenced his [call for a ban on Muslims](http://time.com/4253839/donald-trump-islam-hates-us-interview/) entering the U.S. and his tendency to resort to [name-calling tactics](http://time.com/4242827/donald-trump-marco-rubio-insults/) with rivals. (Notably, some of the same speakers also took shots at Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, by mentioning his promises of free college and Wall Street reform.) Here’s what they had to say: **Barack Obama** The President of the United States [addressed graduates at Rutgers University](http://time.com/4340310/barack-obama-commencement-address-transcript-rutgers/) on May 15. --- > “” --- **Read more:** [Watch Barack Obama Use Commencement Speeches to Talk to Young Voters Over the Years](http://time.com/4356971/barack-obama-commencement-speeches/?xid=tcoshare) **Michelle Obama** The First Lady spoke to [spoke at City College of New York](http://time.com/4357063/michelle-obama-donald-trump-cuny-commencement-speech/) on June 3. --- > “” --- **Matt Damon** The _Good Will Hunting_ actor [spoke at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology](http://time.com/4357006/matt-damon-mit-commencement-donald-trump/) on June 3, mentioning the idea that reality [could actually be a computer-generated simulation](http://www.simulation-argument.com/simulation.html). --- > “” --- **Arianna Huffington**The Huffington Post editor-in-chief spoke [at Colby College on May 22](http://motto.time.com/4341944/arianna-huffington-commencement-speech-colby-college/): --- > “” --- Huffington also [gave the address](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karah-preiss/arianna-huffington-to-hunter-college-grads-to-create-a-better-world-secure-your-own-oxygen-mask-first%5Fb%5F10270058.html) at Hunter College on June 2. --- > “” --- **John Kerry** The Secretary of State [addressed graduates at Northeastern University](http://time.com/4321733/john-kerry-commencement-address-transcript-speech/) on May 6. --- > “” --- **Elizabeth Warren** The Democratic Massachusetts Senator [spoke at Suffolk University](http://motto.time.com/4345503/elizabeth-warren-suffolk-univeristy-commencement-speech/) on May 22. --- > “” --- Earlier, speaking at Bridgewater State University’s commencement on May 14, she mentioned her ongoing feud with Trump. --- > “” --- **Lin-Manuel Miranda** The creator and star of Broadway hit _Hamilton_ [addressed graduates at the University of Pennsylvania](http://motto.time.com/4337719/lin-manuel-miranda-grad-speech/), where Trump’s daughter graduated this year. “In a year where politicians traffic in anti-immigrant rhetoric, there is also a Broadway musical reminding us that a broke, orphan immigrant from the West Indies built our financial system, a story that reminds us that since the beginning of the great unfinished symphony that is our American experiment, time and time again, immigrants get the job done.” **Michael Bloomberg**The [former New York City mayor](http://time.com/4313436/michael-bloomberg-commencement-speech-donald-trump-bernie-sanders/), who considered a presidential run as an Independent, gave the University of Michigan’s [commencement address](https://www.mikebloomberg.com/news/mike-bloomberg-delivers-commencement-at-university-of-michigan/) on April 30. --- > “” --- **Mitt Romney** The 2012 Republican presidential nominee [spoke at Trine University](http://www.wowo.com/transcript-mitt-romneys-speech-trine-university/) on May 7. --- > “” --- **Maria Elena Salinas** The Univision anchor said journalists were often unfairly vilified by politicians, mentioning Trump, and was [met with boos from the audience](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/27/us/boos-for-univision-anchor-who-spoke-spanish-and-criticized-trump-at-graduation.html) at California State University, Fullerton on May 22. --- > “” --- **Jerry Moran** The Republican Kansas Senator spoke at Friends University on May 7. --- > “” --- ## Transcript Congratulations class of 2009. Of the class of 2010. The class of 2011. The class of 2013. The class of 2014. The class of 2015. Congratulations to the class of 2016. [ NOISE ] [ MUSIC ] Every one of you should be proud of what you've achieved at this institution. The question for your generation is this, how will you keep our democracy going? That all of you who have a separate responsibility. To be role models for your brothers and sisters. To be mentors in your communities and when the time comes to past that sense of an education value down to your job. A sense a personal responsibility, self respect so cadettes along And a hard world awaits you. And it will be up to you whether we'll turn on one another or whether we stay true to our values of fairness and opportunity. We are a nation of immigrants, immigrants that built this country into an economic powerhouse and a beacon of hope around the world. Everyday You receive a steady stream of sensationalism and scandal, stories with the message that suggest change is impossible. I've seen a generation eager, impatient even, to step into the rushing waters of history and change its course. The point is if you are living your life to the fullest. You will fail. You will stumble. You will **** up. You will fall down. But it will make you stronger and you will get it right the next time. Set a good example of that young brother coming up. Spend time and energy and presence to give people opportunities and a chance. Pull them up, expose them. Support their dreams. Don't put them down. Even more than physical courage we need your moral courage. The strength to do what's right especially when it's unpopular. Because at the end of the day and at the end of your career. You want to look in the mirror and say with confidence and with pride, I fulfilled my oath. I did my duty. I stayed true to my values. And yet your generation, the most educated, the most diverse, the most tolerant- The most politically independent and the most digitally fluent in our history is also on record as being the most optimistic about our future. When you run into a course, the cynics will tell you that you're being foolish to keep believing, or that you can't do something. And that you should just give up. You should just settle. Might say to yourself a little phrase that I found handy these last eight years. Yes we can. Take care of each other, take care of those under your command. And as long as you keep strong that long blue line, stay true to the values you learned here. Integrity, Service before self excellence, do this and I'm confident that we will always remain one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Congratulations class of 2016 god bless you all. 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