Trump will address West Point graduates in person at ceremony reflecting coronavirus precautions
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Less pomp, more circumstance.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the United States Military Academy at West Point on Saturday will graduate more than 1,000 cadets in an in-person ceremony, albeit one adapted with social distancing measures aimed at preventing transmission of the disease.
The altered ceremony for the Army’s newest second lieutenants will also mark President Donald Trump‘s first graduation address at West Point.
At least 15 West Point cadets from the Class of 2020, whose members have been brought back to campus for graduation, have reportedly tested positive for Covid-19.
The U.S. Air Force Academy also held a socially distanced ceremony for graduating airmen and Space Force members on April 18, nearly six weeks earlier than originally scheduled.
But the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy held virtual graduation ceremonies in May. Both events featured recorded commencement speeches.
Trump, who has pushed political leaders to lift their social distancing rules to revive the damaged U.S. economy, will appear at West Point, about 50 miles north of New York City, to deliver his address.
The ceremony defies New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s directive Sunday that outdoor graduations must not exceed 150 people, and that even those will only be permitted starting June 26. West Point, as a U.S. military facility, is not bound to those rules, the New York Daily News reported.
“Saturday’s graduation is about these incredible cadets and their amazing accomplishments, and as the Commander-in-Chief, President Trump wants to celebrate that and thank them for their service to our country,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said by email.
The U.S. Air Force Academy held a socially distanced ceremony for graduating airmen and Space Force members, nearly six weeks earlier than originally scheduled.
More than 381,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in New York, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/12/coronavirus-trump-will-address-west-point-graduates-in-person.html