Trump takes 100-day victory lap at University of Alabama commencement speech
Share and Follow


President Trump used his commencement speech at the University of Alabama on Thursday to take a victory lap over his administration’s first 100 days into his second term.

“This week, we’re celebrating the most successful first 100 days of any presidential administration in the history of our country, and we’ve been given a lot of credit for that,” Trump told a crowd of college graduates in Tuscaloosa, Ala., describing the current moment as the “Golden Age.”

“But 100 days does not a full term make, but we’re going to do even better as we move along,” Trump added.

Sounding at times more akin to a presidential campaign rally than a commencement address, Trump boasted that his administration had made headway in many of the areas he campaigned on in the last election, like immigration and grocery prices.

Trump reiterated a statistic that only three undocumented migrants crossed the U.S. southern border in April and that the government had slashed border crossings “99.999 percent,” though the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has not released migrant encounters for April. Data released from CBP showed roughly 11,000 migrant crossings in March, a fraction of the migrant crossings recorded last March, at over 189,000.

Trump also touted a drop in egg prices and gas. The president boasted that egg prices had decreased 87 percent since the beginning of his term, though experts have pointed out there’s a difference between retail and wholesale egg prices, with retail prices rising to a record average of $6.22 while wholesale egg prices have declined.

The president also used the opportunity to tout his electoral wins during the November election, boasting that he won all seven battleground states against former Vice President Harris and the 312 Electoral College votes he collected. He repeated the baseless assertion that the 2020 election was “rigged” while describing former President Biden’s term as an “aberration.”

His remarks saying transgender women will not be playing in sports that align with their gender identity received loud applause at one point, in addition to another moment where he lauded the “leaders of this state who chose liberty over” lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In between his speech, Trump sprinkled tidbits of praise and guidance to the Alabama graduates, lauding in particular the school’s athletics and Nick Saban, the university’s former football coach who introduced Trump before his commencement speech.

Trump’s glowing depiction of the country — saying, “We’re in the midst of another kind of revolution — a revolution of winning and a revolution of common sense” — offered a split-screen to the events earlier in the day when Trump announced he would be moving Michael Waltz, his national security advisor, from his position to be the next ambassador to the U.N.

The transition came after Waltz accidentally added a journalist to an unclassified Signal chat that included other Trump administration officials that detailed strike plans against the Houthis. 

There has also been growing attention turned toward the Pentagon amid the departure of several top-level Pentagon officials as the department investigates leaks.

Trump, however, did at one point use his commencement speech to air some frustration over the courts and their handling of immigration matters. 

Courts have ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of two individuals who have been sent to prison in El Salvador, and earlier on Thursday a federal judge also ruled that his administration could not use the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged members of a Venezuelan gang.

“Judges are interfering, supposedly based on due process, but how can you give due process to people who came into our country illegally? They want to give them due process,” Trump said.

He also wasted no time in needling some former foes-turned-admirers in his speech, too, saying at one point, “They all hated me in my first term, and now they’re kissing my a–.”

“It’s amazing,” Trump added. “It’s nicer this way.”

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

Legal Halting of Certain Tankers May Impact Funding, Yet Remains a Secondary Concern

In a recent segment on NPR’s “Morning Edition,” Representative Adam Smith (D-WA)…

Crackdown on Illegal Alien Truck Drivers: Ensuring Road Safety with Mass Arrests

There have been numerous reports highlighting the issue of commercial driver’s…

US Military Successfully Eliminates Notorious Narco-Terrorist in Strategic Eastern Pacific Operation

In a decisive move against narcotics smuggling, the U.S. military conducted a…

Breaking: Stricter Citizenship Rules for Foreigners in Japan – What You Need to Know

The Japanese government is gearing up to overhaul its immigration policies, making…

Groundbreaking PA Court Ruling: Warrantless Google Searches Now Permitted

Pennsylvania’s highest court just handed Big Tech and law enforcement a massive…

Chilling Encounter: Brown University Shooter Nonchalantly Strolls by Police Post-Incident

In startling new video footage, the suspect in the Brown University shooting…

Venus Williams Ties the Knot with Italian Beau Andrea Preti in Florida; Sister Serena Stuns with Lavish Wedding Gift

Tennis icon Venus Williams and her Italian partner, actor and model Andrea…

Revealed Emails Indicate FBI Concerns Over Insufficient Evidence Prior to Mar-a-Lago Search

Recently unveiled documents have brought to light that the FBI did not…