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For the first time in his second term, President Donald Trump will address graduating students with a commencement speech at the University of Alabama on May 1.
Trump announced the plans in an April 21 post on his social media platform Truth Social.
The president’s commencement address will precede Alabama’s regular degree conferral ceremonies on May 2, 3, and 4, the university said on its website.
“The University of Alabama is honored to have been selected as one of the universities President Donald J. Trump will visit to deliver a spring commencement address,” the school said in a statement earlier this month.
The announcement was met with some opposition from Alabama students and alumni who organized protests and a petition against Trump’s speech, Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.
UA President Stuart Bell and former UA football coach Nick Saban are also expected to speak at the Thursday, May 1 event.
Here’s what to know about Trump’s speech, including how and when to watch it.
When is Trump’s Alabama commencement speech?
Trump’s commencement speech at Alabama will begin at 6:30 p.m. CDT, which is 7:30 p.m. EST.
It will take place at the Coleman Coliseum, the home arena for the university’s basketball teams and gymnastics program.
The event is to celebrate the school’s spring 2025 graduates, who will have priority seating at the event, the university said on its website. Summer and fall graduates will also get free tickets to the ceremony.
Free tickets were also offered to graduates’ guests, and a limited number of tickets were given to faculty, staff and other students.
How to watch Trump’s Alabama commencement speech via livestream
Trump’s address will be livestreamed on Alabama’s website at commencement.ua.edu.
Trump to give West Point commencement speech in May
The president is also scheduled to give another commencement address later in May at West Point.
Trump announced the plan on Truth Social on April 21. West Point’s graduation is on Saturday, May 24.
He previously addressed West Point’s graduates during his first term in 2020.
Presidential commencement speeches are not uncommon
While Alabama’s ceremony will mark the first time in Trump’s second term he will be addressing a group of college graduates, it is not an uncommon practice.
Beginning with former President Dwight Eisenhower in 1953, every president has made at least one commencement address in their first year in office, according to The American Presidency Project.
Trump gave seven commencement speeches during his first term, including at Liberty University and the United States Naval Academy, according to The American Presidency Project.
Melina Khan is a trending reporter covering national news for USA TODAY. She can be reached at [email protected].