--- title: Trump Says 'I Rebuilt the Military' During West Point Speech description: "I know because I rebuilt that army, and I rebuilt the military. We rebuilt it like nobody has ever rebuilt it before in my first term." canonical: https://time.com/7288516/trump-west-point-speech-rebuilt-military-dei-comments/ author: Rebecca Schneid article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-05-24T19:00:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:51:09.466Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Says 'I Rebuilt the Military' During West Point Speech og:description: "I rebuilt the military. We rebuilt it like nobody has ever rebuilt it before in my first term." og:url: https://time.com/7288516/trump-west-point-speech-rebuilt-military-dei-comments/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte427c04a9d870f38/6998c6f17323af6d492bc8c0/GettyImages-2216082070.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 7227 og:image:height: 4065 og:image:alt: US-POLITICS-TRUMP-MILITARY og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Says 'I Rebuilt the Military' During West Point Speech twitter:description: "I rebuilt the military. We rebuilt it like nobody has ever rebuilt it before in my first term." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte427c04a9d870f38/6998c6f17323af6d492bc8c0/GettyImages-2216082070.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump Takes Credit for 'Most Powerful Army World Has Known' During West Point Speech: 'I Rebuilt the Military' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=bc3da6b4-d699-49ce-bb5c-6385962a96a7&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1)  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter May 24, 2025 7:00 PM UTC  President Donald Trump delivers the commencement address at the 2025 U.S. Military Academy Graduation Ceremony at West Point, New York, on May 24, 2025. President Donald Trump delivers the commencement address at the 2025 U.S. Military Academy Graduation Ceremony at West Point, New York, on May 24, 2025. Saul Loeb—Getty Images  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter May 24, 2025 7:00 PM UTC President Donald Trump returned to the United States Military Academy at West Point on Saturday to give the commencement speech to the graduating class of 2025\. Adorned in his trademark “Make America Great Again” hat, Trump spoke to the 1,002-strong class for just under an hour. During his address, he lauded the United States Army as the “greatest and most powerful Army the world has ever known.” Beyond this, he stated that he is the one responsible for the Army’s might. “And I know because I rebuilt that army, and I rebuilt the military,” Trump told the crowd. “We rebuilt it like nobody has ever rebuilt it before in my first term.” Trump went on to push his American-first ethos, saying: “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.” In his rally-style speech, Trump celebrated the achievements of the students, while also lauding his own presidency—including his cracking down on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. West Point has found itself in the center of the DEI-related pushback, especially related to the banning of books and educational programs that the Trump Administration says promote DEI. In February, [West Point disbanded its Society of Black Engineers club](https://abcnews.go.com/US/west-point-disbands-student-clubs-related-gender-race/story?id=118493041) as well as multiple other clubs listed under “[affinity](https://web.archive.org/web/20250127090346/https://www.westpoint.edu/cadet-journey/clubs-and-activities#affinity)” groups on the club directory. This followed Trump’s Jan. 20 [Executive Order](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/) titled “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing” and a Jan. 21 Executive Order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” A subsequent [Jan. 29 instruction](https://media.defense.gov/2025/Jan/29/2003634987/-1/-1/1/RESTORING-AMERICAS-FIGHTING-FORCE.PDF) from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saw the announcement of a new task force. “I direct the establishment of a multi-functional ‘Restoring America's Fighting Force’ task force charged with overseeing the Department's efforts to abolish DEI offices and any vestiges of such offices that subvert meritocracy, perpetuate unconstitutional discrimination, and promote radical ideologies related to systemic racism and gender fluidity,” Hegseth said.  President Donald Trump walks the field prior to addressing graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point in Michie Stadium on May 24, 2025, in West Point, New York. Michael M. Santiago—Getty Images Beyond clubs, West Point has reportedly purged work by diverse authors from its libraries and has removed discussions of systemic inequities from its classrooms, leading a West Point professor to [resign](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/08/west-point-resignation-trump), saying: “I am ashamed to be associated with the academy in its current form.” Trump addressed his DEI measures during his West Point commencement speech, saying he has “liberated our troops from divisive and demeaning political training.” “There will be no more critical race theory or transgender for everybody, forced onto our brave men and women in uniform or on anybody else, for that matter, in this country,” Trump said. “And promotions and appointments will not be based on politics or identity. They'll be based on merit…We're a merit-based country again.” Trump claimed that his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, “subjected the armed forces to all manner of social projects”—something he says is no longer. The President’s speech comes after he and Hegseth have fired [multiple senior military officers](https://news.sky.com/story/trump-fires-top-us-military-officers-including-americas-most-senior-commander-13314409) who were known to endorse DEI efforts. The Trump Administration has also once again [banned transgender people from serving in the military](https://time.com/7283244/trump-military-transgender-ban-supreme-court/) and has [ordered new physical standard tests](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pentagon-hegseth-review-military-standards-fitness-grooming/) which will requirethe same standards for both men and women. The change in requirements to serve in combat roles is expected to drastically cut the number of women in said roles. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7288516/trump-west-point-speech-rebuilt-military-dei-comments/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7288516/trump-west-point-speech-rebuilt-military-dei-comments/"},"headline":"Trump Takes Credit for 'Most Powerful Army World Has Known' During West Point Speech: 'I Rebuilt the Military'","datePublished":"2025-05-24T19:00:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:51:09.466Z","description":"\"I know because I rebuilt that army, and I rebuilt the military. 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