President Trump Will Give the Commencement Speech at the University of Alabama
The commencement speech will be ticketed and happen on May 1.
Published April 23 2025, 10:06 a.m. ET
President Trump's first 100 days have been tumultuous, to say the least. The administration has caused a massive downturn in the stock market because of their tariffs, and Elon Musk's DOGE is running roughshod over entire sections of the federal bureaucracy.
Given all of that controversy, some were shocked to discover that President Trump would be delivering the commencement address at the University of Alabama when students graduate there in a couple of weeks. Here's what we know about what students have said in response to the news.
University of Alabama students are reacting to Trump's commencement speech announcement.
Trump first announced that he would be visiting the campus in a post on Truth Social on April 21, and following the news that he had been invited to speak, the campus's College Democrats organization released a statement in which they cited all of the many reasons they felt he was an inappropriate commencement speaker.
"UACD is shocked and disgusted to learn that our unpopular, divisive, and authoritarian President will be involved in commencement for the graduating class of 2025," they wrote."This insult will not go unanswered," the statement continued. "The last time the disgraced criminal visited campus, he was able to turn the Alabama-Georgia game, the biggest college football game on our campus in years, into a political sideshow. We cannot allow this to happen with our commencement ceremonies. For all of his meddling in UA affairs, Donald Trump lost our campus to former Vice President Kamala Harris last semester."
"UA is not a fascist playground," the statement added, noting that a graduate student at the university, Alireza Doroudi, was detained by ICE in March and still has not been released. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the College Democrats are planning to mobilize following the news, and may ultimately stage some sort of protest that is timed with Trump's visit.
There were some who took the other side of this particular fight, including Young America’s Foundation President Trenton Buffenbarger, who said he was honored to welcome a sitting U.S. president to campus.
“President Trump’s visit will mark a historic moment for our university, and many of our members are excited about the opportunity to celebrate the conservative ideals he stands for,” he said.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey also weighed in and, perhaps unsurprisingly, offered her endorsement.
“It truly will be a historic occasion for these UA graduates and their families,” Ivey wrote on Twitter. “What an incredible opportunity to hear from the President of the United States! Thank you, @POTUS, for making this happen for our students.”
The commencement speech will take place on May 1, and the University of Alabama said that it will be a separate, ticketed event from the rest of graduation. Historically, the University of Alabama does not invite speakers to campus, in part because of the controversy that they can stir up in delivering their commencement addresses. That doesn't seem to be a concern for the class of 2025.