- President Donald Trump delivered the commencement speech at the University of Alabama on Thursday.
- His speech included career advice for grads as well as sections on tariffs and the 2020 election.
- "America doesn't aim small. Alabama doesn't aim small, and neither do you," Trump told the grads.
In the first commencement speech of his second term, President Donald Trump talked about career advice, his first 100 days in office, and several of his standard agenda items, including the results of the 2020 election.
"You're the first graduating class of the golden age of America. We're in the golden age," Trump told new graduates of the University of Alabama on Thursday.
Trump began his nearly hourlong address by talking about his administration's accomplishments in his first 100 days, which he described as "an exciting time for our nation," before dispensing some advice to the university's graduates.
"As you embark on this great adventure, let me share some of the biggest lessons I've learned from a lifetime spent building dreams and beating the odds. I beat a lot of odds," Trump said.
He told graduates they can have "great success at a very young age."
Trump talked about his experience working on his first major real estate project, the Grand Hyatt, at age 28. He cited examples such as Steve Jobs and Walt Disney, who started Apple and The Walt Disney Company, respectively, when they were 21.
"So to everyone here today, don't waste your youth. Go out and fight, right from the beginning," Trump said.
"Find your limits and smash through everything," he added.
Trump told the graduates to "think big."
"You have to do something that you love. You will have all the same headaches and challenges, all the same delays and setbacks, so you might as well do something that's just amazing. America doesn't aim small. Alabama doesn't aim small, and neither do you," Trump said.
Tariffs and 2020 election results
During his speech, Trump also talked about some of his usual agenda topics, including tariffs and the 2020 presidential election results.
Trump said the sweeping tariffs he has imposed on the world would soon bear results for the US.
"You'll be seeing the results pretty soon, sooner than most people think, because that's what other countries have been doing to us. Just so you understand, they were tariffing the hell out of us," Trump said.
He also used his time on stage to repeat his claim that he is the true winner of the 2020 presidential election. There is no evidence of any widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Toward the end of his address, Trump talked about his relationship with tech leaders such as Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
"Look at some of these internet people. I know so many of them. Elon is so terrific but I know now all of them. You know, they all hated me in my first term and now, they're kissing my ass," Trump said.
Business leaders such as Musk broke with Trump when the president withdrew the US from the Paris climate accord in his first term.
Musk was one of Trump's biggest supporters in the 2024 elections, spending at least $277 million supporting Trump and other GOP candidates running for office. Apple CEO Tim Cook and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman personally donated $1 million each to Trump's second inaugural fund.
During his first term, Trump delivered several commencement speeches, including at Liberty University and at West Point.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
