President Donald Trump does not seem too concerned by the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. He has announced that he plans to speak at the commencement ceremony for the West Point Military Academy, which is slated for June — although prior to his announcement of his plans, school officials had been questioning whether or not to even hold the ceremony. Now, Trump will be at least partially responsible for the return of some 1,000 imminent West Point grads to the New York campus for the commencement ceremony — at least, that’s the plan for now.
Trump abruptly announced that he would be speaking at West Point. That was news to everyone, including officials at West Point. They are now summoning 1,000 cadets scattered across the country to return to campus in New York, the center of the outbreak.https://t.co/ZehB9cyKMv
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 24, 2020
Sue Fulton, who The New York Times describes as “a West Point graduate and former chairwoman of the academy’s Board of Visitors,” told The New York Times:
‘He’s the commander in chief, that’s his call. Cadets are certainly excited about the opportunity to have something like the classic graduation, standing together, flinging their hats in the air. But everyone is leery about bringing 1,000 cadets into the New York metropolitan area for a ceremony. It’s definitely a risk.’
New York has been by far the most hard-hit state amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, with over a quarter of a million confirmed cases and over 21,000 reported deaths as of Saturday afternoon. The Times connects Trump’s decision to speak at a West Point commencement ceremony anyway to his apparent concerns about being “upstaged” by Vice President Mike Pence, who delivered the commencement address at the Air Force Academy’s graduation ceremony in Colorado last week.
NYT: Trump Speech to Bring 1,000 West Point Cadets Back to Campus. "He's the commander in chief, that's his call," but "it's definitely a risk…" https://t.co/bW26B30knG pic.twitter.com/CXeo9SottY
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) April 25, 2020
Trump announced his West Point address plans at a recent White House press conference. Although Trump apparently “had a discussion with the Defense Department” about the apparent rescheduling plans on the morning of his April 18 announcement, the Times reports:
‘West Point officials said this week that they were taken aback by the impromptu announcement. Of the many graduation options under review, Mr. Trump had pre-empted their planning.’
Decisions about commencement ceremonies have, it’s worth noting, been at times sharply divergent amidst the pandemic — although the Air Force Academy kept seniors on campus for an abruptly called graduation ceremony, students at West Point (and the United States Naval Academy, which will have a virtual graduation ceremony) have already gone home amidst virus-induced social distancing demands.
Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the West Point superintendent, has explained that the school plans to have graduating seniors maintain some form of social distancing when they return to the campus to finish up their term and participate in the planned commencement ceremony. Referring to the graduating seniors, Williams explained:
‘All 1,000 of them will not intermix. They’ll be in their rooms. They’ll have their masks on. Groups will be segregated in the mess hall when they eat.’
Schools around the country have been among the many establishments to close amidst the Coronavirus pandemic.
Amidst many other dismal developments, Axios suggests that “Every big business and school in America is privately planning for the possibility of working and learning at home this fall. Schools have no choice but to contemplate the risks of kids picking up the virus in school, and infecting parents and grandparents at home.”
