>>> I THINK MAKING THE COMMENCEMENT SPEECH, I’M DOING
IT AT WEST POINT, WHICH I LOOK
FORWARD TO.
FORWARD TO. I DID IT LAST YEAR AT AIR FORCE,
I DID AT THE COAST GUARD ACADEMY
AND I’M DOING IT AT WEST POINT
AND I ASSUME THEY’VE GOT IT.
AND I UNDERSTAND THEY’LL HAVE
DISTANCING.
DISTANCING. >> THAT WAS PRESIDENT TRUMP
EARLIER THIS MONTH ANNOUNCING
THAT HE WOULD STILL BE
DELIVERING THE COMMENCEMENT
ADDRESS AT WEST POINT MILITARY
ACADEMY DESPITE THE CORONAVIRUS
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC. WE’RE LEARNING THIS MORNING THAT
THE ARMY LEADERSHIP WAS
SURPRISED BY THE PRESIDENT’S
ANNOUNCEMENT.
ANNOUNCEMENT. TWO ARMY OFFICIALS TELLING NBC
NEWS THAT WHILE THE ACADEMY WAS
PLANNING ON HOLDING A GRADUATION
CEREMONY ON JUNE 13th, DETAILS
WERE STILL BEING WORKING OUT AND
THEY WERE DELAYING THE
ANNOUNCEMENT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE
TO ENSURE IT WAS SAFE FOR CADETS
TO TRAVEL.
TO TRAVEL. NOW OFFICIALS ARE PLANNING TO
PUT FORWARD A PLAN TO BRING
1,000 CADETS SCATTERED ACROSS
THE COUNTRY BACK TO CAMPUS IN
NEW YORK, THE CENTER OF THE
OUTBREAK, OF COURSE, AND BECAUSE
THE PRESIDENT MADE THE
ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE CADETS WERE
TOLD, PARENTS HAVE BEEN CALLING
THE ACADEMY FURIOUS.
THEIR KIDS ARE BEING FORCED TO
TRAVEL EVEN THOUGH THE ACADEMY
WAS PLANNING ON BRINGING THEM
BACK TO CLEAN OUT THEIR DORMS
AND HAVE CADETS REPORT TO ARMY
OFFICER TRAINING.
OFFICER TRAINING. JOINING ME ON THE PHONE, FORMER
SECRETARY OF THE ARMY, A WEST
POINT GRADUATE.
POINT GRADUATE. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE HAVE YOU THERE ON FACETIME, I
BELIEVE.
BELIEVE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
I WANT TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON
HOW ALL OF THIS HAS PLAYED OUT.
BECAUSE ONE OF YOUR FELLOW WEST
POINT GRADUATES TOLD THE "NEW
YORK TIMES," CADETS ARE EXCITED
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE
SOMETHING LIKE THE CLASSIC
GRADUATION, BUT EVERYONE IS
LEERY ABOUT BRINGING BACK 1,000
CADETS INTO THE NEW YORK AREA
FOR A CEREMONY.
IT’S DEFINITELY A RISK.
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING, SIR, FROM
CADETS AND WEST POINT OFFICIALS
ABOUT THIS DECISION TO HOLD A
CEREMONY WITH THE PRESIDENT?
>> I THINK IT’S CLEAR THAT THE
PRESIDENT PREEMPTED THE PLANNING
THAT WAS GOING ON AT THE ACADEMY
AND WE DIDN’T GIVE THEM A CHANCE
TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION ABOUT
WHETHER IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO
HAVE A GRADUATION OF ANY KIND,
NOT LESS THAN A WEEK EARLIER, A
WEEK EARLIER, THE NAVAL ACADEMY
ANNOUNCED THEY WERE GOING TO
CANCEL ALL TRADITIONAL
GRADUATION CEREMONIES.
GRADUATION CEREMONIES. THEY WOULD FIND A WAY TO
GRADUATE AND COMMISSION THE
SENIOR CLASS AND GIVE THEM A
CHANCE TO GET ONTO THEIR
MILITARY ASSIGNMENTS.
MILITARY ASSIGNMENTS. AND HERE, WEST POINT WAS STILL
LOOKING AT WHETHER IT WAS GOING
TO BE POSSIBLE TO BRING CADETS
BACK IN A WAY THAT WAS SAFE FOR
THE CADETS, SAFE FOR THE
MILITARY ACADEMY COMMUNITY WHICH
IS OF COURSE MORE THAN THE
CADETS, IT’S THE FACULTY AND
STAFF AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO
LIVE IN THE AREA.
AND WHAT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO
DO FOR THE ARMY BECAUSE WHAT’S
IMPORTANT IS GETTING THESE YOUNG
MEN AND WOMEN COMMISSIONED AND
INTO THE MILITARY SO THEY CAN GO
TO THEIR BASIC TRAINING AND ONTO
THE UNITS THAT VERY MUCH NEED
THEIR TALENTS IN THE FORCE.
THAT’S WHAT’S IMPORTANT.
NOT HAVING A BACKDROP FOR THE
PRESIDENT TO GIVE A SPEECH AND
SO THEY HADN’T MADE THAT
DECISION, CLEARLY EVERYONE HOPES
THAT BY JUNE 13th, IT IS
POSSIBLE TO HAVE SOME KIND OF A
GRADUATION.
GRADUATION. BUT IT MAY NOT BE.
AND MOST UNIVERSITIES IN THE
NATION HAVE CANCELED THEIR
GRADUATIONS, HAVE SAID, WE’LL
FIND A WAY TO APPROPRIATELY
RECOGNIZE OUR GRADUATES IN THE
FUTURE.
FUTURE. AT SOME POINT, WE’LL BRING THEM
BACK TOGETHER.
BACK TOGETHER. WHAT’S IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW IS TO
KEEP THEM SAFE.
THIS IS NOT WITHOUT RISK.
CLEARLY THERE’S RISK TO
TRAVELING, ALL THE PUBLIC -- AND
THE FAMILIES ARE GOING TO WANT
TO BE THERE.
EVEN IF THEY’RE NOT ALLOWED TO
ATTEND THE CEREMONY, THIS IS A
TIME WHEN PARENTS WANT TO BE
THERE, GRANDPARENTS, AUNTS,
UNCLES.
UNCLES. ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE AREN’T GOING
TO STAY AWAY.
YOU’RE MULTIPLYING MANY, MANY
FOLD RISKS THAT AT THIS POINT
ARE NOT CLEAR THAT INDIVIDUALS
SHOULD BE TAKING.
THE MILITARY IS UNDER A
NO-TRAVEL ORDER THROUGH JUNE
30th AND WE’RE BEING TOLD THAT
WE’RE GOING TO NEED SOCIAL
DISTANCING THROUGH THE SUMMER.
>> I WANT TO GET TO ONE MORE
POINT QUICKLY.
POINT QUICKLY. YOU DON’T WANT THE MILITARY
GRADUATION AT WEST POINT TO BE A
BACKDROP FOR THE PRESIDENT.
HAVING SEEN HOW HE HAS PERFORMED
ON THE NATIONAL STAGE EVERY DAY
WITH THESE PRESS BRIEFINGS, ARE
YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THAT POINT,
THAT THESE CADETS ARE BEING
BROUGHT BACK TO THE WEST POINT
ACADEMY FOR THIS GRADUATION
WHICH IS AN HONORABLE MOMENT BUT
IS GOING TO PROVIDE A POLITICAL
RALLY FOR THE PRESIDENT?
>> LOOK, THE PRESIDENT IS THE
COMMANDER IN CHIEF AND THE
MILITARY IS NONPARTISAN AND SO
THEY’RE VERY EXCITED TO BOTH
HAVE A GRADUATION AND TO HAVE
SOMEONE OF THE STATURE OF THE
COMMANDER IN CHIEF WHO GIVES
THOSE REMARKS AND HOPEFULLY
THOSE REMARKS WOULD BE AS LEAST
POLITICIZED AS POSSIBLE.
THIS PRESIDENT LIKES TO BASK IN
THE GLORY OF THE MILITARY.
HE DOES MANY THINGS THAT VALUES
THE MILITARY.
THE MILITARY. AND IN A NUMBER OF WAYS HAS
ACTED IN WAYS THAT ARE AGAINST
THE MILITARIES.
THE MILITARIES. HE’S TAKEN HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS THAT SHOULD GO TO
TRAINING, CONSTRUCTION AND
UNLAWFULLY MOVED THEM OVER TO
BUILD HIS WALL.
HE’S PARDONED MILITARY CRIMINALS
AND INSISTED THAT THEY
GRADUATE -- THAT THEY BE ABLE TO
RETIRE WITH FULL HONORS.
HE’S SOMEONE WHO DOESN’T LISTEN
MUCH LESS FOLLOWS THE ADVICE OF
SEASONED MILITARY LEADERS WHO
HAVE DECADES OF EXPERIENCE
PROTECTING OUR NATION.
WHEN HE WAS A CANDIDATE, HE SAID
THEY WERE STUPID AND HE COULD
END THE WARS FASTER THAN THEY
COULD AND HE UNDERSTOOD MORE
ABOUT HOW TO DO THAT.
STILL WE SEE THE CONFLICTS IN
SYRIA AND AFGHANISTAN AND ALL
OVER THE WORLD HAS NOT MADE US
SAFER.
SAFER. SO I DON’T THINK THAT HE’S
REALLY SOMEONE WHO HAS SHARED
THE VALUES OF THE MILITARY OR