President Donald Trump's commencement address to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy's class of 2026 was derailed, repeatedly, by his own running commentary on how physically attractive the graduates were.
Speaking for roughly 53 minutes on 20 May 2026 at Cadet Memorial Field in New London, Connecticut, the 79-year-old president delivered a keynote address at the Academy's 145th commencement exercises, commissioning 260 new Coast Guard Ensigns in front of crowds of family members, some of whom were later treated for heat-related illness.
Several segments of the speech veered sharply from ceremony into spectacle, as Trump called individual cadets to the podium by name, appraised their appearance aloud, and attempted to punch one of them in the shoulder before declaring that his hand hurt. The remarks were captured on video and, within hours, were circulating widely on social media alongside an older clip of Trump making nearly identical comments about attractive men at a White House event the previous week.
'I Hate Good-Looking Men': Distinguished Graduate Matthew Lanzilotta Takes the Stage
The episode unfolded around ten minutes into the address, when Trump began recognising individual graduates for their accomplishments. The first cadet he called forward was Matthew Lanzilotta of Virginia Beach, who had finished at the top of the class of 2026 with the highest score in both military and academic achievement, earning the title of Distinguished Graduate. Lanzilotta is set to report to flight school in Pensacola, Florida, following the ceremony.
Trump: I hate good looking men. We also have the only cadet who earned a perfect score on every single fitness test. I wanna check him out. Look at the muscles on this guy. pic.twitter.com/UwyQg5EuWo
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 20, 2026
'Get up, I wanna see this guy,' Trump said before Lanzilotta reached the stage. The two shook hands and exchanged words privately, and as the cadet turned to leave, Trump leaned into the microphone. 'I hate good-looking men,' he said. The crowd chuckled.
Trump followed it with: 'I like to see what these guys are like!' The line drew attention in part because it was not his first time saying something similar in public. The previous week, during a White House event hosting the 2026 National Football Champions, Trump had told the room about one of the players standing behind him: 'He's a good-looking guy. I don't like good-looking people.'
Thomas Rhodes's Four-Year Fitness Record and the President's Injured Hand
Trump then turned his attention to the next cadet, Thomas Michael Rhodes, a wrestler who had reportedly become one of the only cadets in Coast Guard Academy history to earn a perfect score on every single Physical Fitness Exam across all four of his years at the institution. The Academy's wrestling team had noted on social media the previous autumn that Rhodes's record may be unprecedented. Trump told the audience: 'I wanna check him out,' and let out an audible 'Wow!' as Rhodes stood and walked towards the stage.
'We're not gonna fight with him,' Trump said, as Rhodes approached. 'I'm not fighting him. This is not UFC. Please understand that, Thomas.' Once the cadet reached him, Trump struck him on the shoulder and immediately reacted. 'Look at the muscles on this guy,' he said. 'I just hit him on the shoulder, I hurt my hand. It's like hitting a rock.' Trump added that the fitness competition 'matters to me too' before moving to the next cadet.
He then called up Mike Kettish of Leesburg, Virginia, who made history as the first Coast Guard Academy graduate to proceed directly into Coast Guard Special Forces. He also invited Savannah Riera, the class president, to the stage. 'If I didn't invite her up, they'd accuse me of discrimination,' Trump said.
'I have to get her up here. She looks so fantastic. This is ridiculous.' Riera is one of a number of female officers now entering an institution whose former leader, four-star Admiral Linda Fagan, was fired by the Trump administration on its first full day in office in January 2025. Fagan had been the first woman ever to lead a branch of the U.S. armed forces.
Iran Boasts, a Recycled Line, and Trump's False Claim About Presidential History
The physical commentary was far from the speech's only notable detour. Trump veered into the ongoing conflict with Iran mid-address, telling the graduating officers: 'Everything's gone. Their navy's gone. Their air force is gone, just about everything.' He then posed an open question to the crowd: 'The only question is, do we go and finish it up, or are they going to be signing a document? Let's see what happens.' It was a notably casual framing of an active military conflict, delivered to the very officers who would soon be serving in it.
Trump also recycled language from his last appearance at the Academy's graduation. During this year's address he told the cadets, 'Whatever danger comes our way, you will fight, fight, fight' — a close echo of his 2017 line, 'You have to put your head down and fight, fight, fight,' delivered at the same institution nine years earlier. The New York Times noted the similarity.
The speech also contained a factual error. Trump told the graduates: 'I'm thrilled to become the first president to ever give a second keynote address to this storied institution. I am very proud of that honour.' That claim is false. The New York Times reported that Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama all delivered second commencement addresses at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Trump added that he intended to return for a third. 'We're going to have to try it maybe a third time, too, to keep that record intact,' he said. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin also attended the ceremony. Eighteen members of the audience were treated for heat-related issues on the day.
Two hundred and sixty officers were commissioned that morning, and most of them will remember the speech for reasons the president almost certainly did not intend.
