President Donald Trump told Coast Guard Academy graduates Wednesday that they inherited the legacy of “some of the most daring and intrepid Americans ever to live” and will “go onto greatness themselves” in service to the country.
Speaking in New London, Connecticut, to more than 230 commissioning officers, Trump praised the cadets — some of whom already have saved lives or been involved in major counter-drug operations — for “unbelievable heroism and exceptional selflessness.”
“No matter how terrible the storm, no matter how difficult the mission, never surrender. Keep going, keep fighting and make the adversary quit first,” Trump advised during his commencement speech at the 150-year-old school.
The address marked the second time Trump has spoken at a Coast Guard Academy graduation and the first since his administration announced a $25 billion investment in the service last year.
With the cash infusion, the previously cash-strapped service has embarked on repairs, maintenance and construction of infrastructure, purchased new systems and equipment and jump started new acquisitions of ships and aircraft.
During the ceremony, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday said the service had spent $13 billion and was on track to spend the funding by the end of this year.
Lunday also thanked Trump for the administration’s fiscal 2027 budget request, which will increase the size of the Coast Guard by 6,000 members.
“Today the Coast Guard is in greater demand and we are delivering proven value and results to the American people,” Lunday said.
The Coast Guard, as part of the Department of Homeland Security, was the only military service affected by a 76-day partial government shutdown. Service members received their paychecks but much of the routine work and bills — as well as pay to civilian workers — was paused during a congressional funding impasse related to appropriations for DHS immigration enforcement agencies.
Lunday thanked DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who also was present at the ceremony, for his work in ending the shutdown.
“We will not forget what you did, sir,” Lunday said. Mullin was confirmed March 24 following the departure earlier that month of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem; the shutdown ended April 30.
The Coast Guard Academy graduation ceremony comes at a time when the service is heavily engaged in migrant interdiction and counter-drug operations in the Caribbean and Pacific and increased need for presence in the Arctic.
The service also played a major role late last year and earlier this year seizing oil tankers challenging sanctions against Venezuela and Russia. And it supported a blockade against sanctioned oil tankers in the Caribbean.
“Always push forward — never stop pushing forward,” Trump said at the ceremony. “No matter how terrible the storm, no matter how difficult the mission, never surrender.”
Trump’s address was not without swipes at his predecessor, President Joe Biden, or the four years that Biden served as president. He described the country during those years as “rudderless” and declared his second term as the “golden age of America.”
“You didn’t hear about the American dream too much for four years, and now the American dream is back,” Trump proclaimed.
The president also acknowledged some of the top performers in the graduating class, including Abby McAllister, a top NCAA women’s lacrosse player, and Thomas Rhodes, a wrestler who has never gotten less than a perfect score on physical fitness tests.
“Look at the muscles on this guy, you just hit him on the shoulder, hurt my hand. It’s like hitting a rock,” Trump joked.
The Class of 2026 will send 181 members to the fleet, 20 to flight school, 23 to prevention and response and 12 to U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command.
“You’re America’s first defenders, you are America’s first responders, you are the living standard bearers of America’s first fleet,” Trump said.
Patricia Kime is a senior writer covering military and veterans health care, medicine and personnel issues.