‘This Insult Will Not Go Unanswered’: Donald Trump’s Upcoming Commencement Speech at University of Alabama Met with Stark Warning from Democratic Students
News that President Donald Trump will be delivering a commencement speech at the University of Alabama drew swift criticism and backlash from students and alumni.
In an April 22 press release, the university stated it’s “honored to have been selected as one of the universities President Donald J. Trump will visit to deliver a spring commencement address.”
According to school officials, the president’s speech on May 1 will be a ticketed event at the Coleman Coliseum open to spring 2025 graduates. The event will happen a day before the university’s official graduation ceremonies set for May 2 through May 4.
Trump shared the news in a TruthSocial post on Monday, writing, “I have agreed to do the Commencement Address at two really GREAT places, the University of Alabama and, WEST POINT. Stay tuned for times and dates!!!”
Trump’s visit marks the first time a sitting president has ever given a commencement speech at the University of Alabama.
The announcement was welcome news to some students and state leaders.
“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,” Young America’s Foundation president Trenton Buffenbarger told AL.com. “I’m personally proud to be part of a student body that represents these ideals, and that welcomes President Trump.”
“Thrilled @POTUS will deliver the 2025 commencement address at the University of Alabama. What a tremendous honor for my alma mater. Looking forward to a historic occasion for graduates and their families. Roll Tide!” Alabama Sen. Katie Boyd Britt, a UA graduate, wrote on X.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, an Auburn graduate, echoed Britt’s statements.
However, some members of the campus community who opposed the president’s visit noted the president’s polarizing and divisive rhetoric and the recent ICE detainment of a UA P.h.D. student from Iran.
“Inviting the man who detained one of our students without due process. Shameful,” A.J. Bauer, assistant professor in the UA Department of Journalism and Creative Media, wrote on X.
The University of Alabama College Democrats released a statement saying its organization is “shocked and disgusted to learn that our unpopular, divisive, and authoritarian President will be involved in commencement for the graduating class of 2025.”
The group also called out the Trump administration for detaining Alireza Doroudi, a mechanical engineering doctoral student who was taken from his off-campus home to a detention facility in March after federal homeland security officials said he “posed significant national security concerns.”
“What’s most troubling is that the burden of proof has effectively been placed on Mr. Doroudi to disprove a threat that was never substantiated in the first place,” said Doroudi’s attorney, David Roza, in a statement to WTVM13. “Our legal system is not built on proving a negative, and yet that’s exactly what is being asked of us. According to ICE’s own database, Mr. Doroudi’s student visa appears to be valid, making his continued detention all the more concerning.”
UACD said it is working with its partners in response to news of Trump’s speech, stating, “This insult will not go unanswered.”
“Given that the White House has pulled federal funding from colleges and universities across our country, we understand if the Bell administration may be stuck between a rock and a hard place. We simply don’t want UA to be turned into a backdrop for MAGA propaganda,” UACD stated.
In response to UACD’s statement, the UA College Republicans said they were “disappointed to see the inflammatory reaction from our radical leftist counterparts … They do not represent Alabama, and they do not represent our student body.”
Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth also called UACD’s response a “childish tantrum” in one X post, and said in another post that he’s “honored to welcome” Trump back to UA. Trump previously visited the campus for two football games.
UA alum Tanner Rodden challenged Trump’s visit with an online petition, which has garnered more than 7,000 signatures. Rodden noted the concerns about the impacts Trump’s presence at the university would have on LGBTQIA+ individuals, students of color, and other marginalized members of the UA community.
“The values and rhetoric associated with President Trump do not reflect the inclusive and respectful environment we strive to uphold at the University of Alabama,” the petition states. “This ceremony should remain a unifying and celebratory occasion, not a divisive event overshadowed by political ideologies that do not resonate with the broader student body.”