President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will give the commencement address at The University of Alabama this year.
“I have agreed to do the Commencement Address at two really GREAT places, the University of Alabama and, WEST POINT,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “Stay tuned for times and dates!!!”
The University did not respond to multiple requests to confirm the announcement in time for publication.
UA spring commencement is set to be held May 2-4 across eight ceremonies at Coleman Coliseum. All ceremonies are usually free to attend and open to the public, though it is unclear if that will change if Trump gives the commencement address. Trump did not clarify which ceremonies he will speak at.
The University has rarely had unaffiliated speakers for commencement addresses in recent years after James T. Stephens, former EBSCO president of the board, was booed off stage during his speech in 2007.
Republican politicians said the commencement address is a positive opportunity for students.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey called the address a “historic occasion” for UA graduates and their families in a statement on social media Tuesday, thanking the president. “What an incredible opportunity to hear from the President of the United States!” she said.
Republican Sen. Katie Britt said in a statement released Tuesday that she was “thrilled” to hear that Trump will give the commencement address.
“It is a tremendous honor for the university and for this year’s graduating class to welcome a sitting President to campus—a first in the nearly 200-year history of the University of Alabama,” Britt said. “As an alumna, I am especially proud to see my alma mater chosen for such a historic occasion.”
The address comes as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the Trump administration recently detained UA Iranian doctoral student Alireza Doroudi. The Department of Homeland Security alleged in a statement without providing evidence that Doroudi posed “significant national security concerns.”
Trump has attended several Alabama football games in the past, including the Georgia game at home in Tuscaloosa in September 2024 as a presidential candidate. During his first term, he also attended the national championship game in 2018 between the Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide, as well as Alabama’s home loss to LSU in 2019.
The Republican Party also hosted the fourth Republican presidential primary debate of the 2024 election cycle at the University for the first time ever in December 2023. At the debate, University President Stuart Bell emphasized that the institution “cannot and does not endorse any candidate or position.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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