In a late night post to Truth Social, President Donald Trump announced that he has “agreed to do the Commencement Address at two really GREAT places, the University of Alabama and, WEST POINT.”
An email sent to University of Alabama students on Tuesday clarified that the president would speak at a ticketed event “held the evening of Thursday, May 1, at Coleman Coliseum and … open to all spring 2025 graduates.” UA’s graduation ceremonies, which are divided by college and in some cases alphabetically by last name, will take place May 2, 3, and 4.
The email also stated that “campus logistics and security measures are being carefully coordinated, and ticketing information for graduates and other event details will be communicated in the coming days.”
University of Alabama alum and Alabama Senator Katie Britt described the news as “a tremendous honor for my alma mater” and a “historic occasion for graduates and their families” in a post to X Tuesday morning.
Trump has visited the University of Alabama several times before, most recently to attend a football game between the University of Alabama and University of Georgia in September. He also came to Tuscaloosa to attend football games several times during his first term.
As of right now, it appears likely that University of Alabama engineering student Alireza Doroudi will still be detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement as a result of the Trump administration’s heavy-handed crackdown on international students when the president comes to campus.
The Department of Homeland Security has claimed Doroudi poses “significant national security concerns” but so far has not described what those concerns might be. In a statement to the media, Doroudi’s lawyer stated that “the government has provided no evidence in the record that Mr. Doroudi poses any national security threat” and argued his client was being presumed guilty until proven innocent.
Visits to the university by controversial conservative politicians and speakers are often met with protests by student organizations like the UA College Democrats and Queer Student Association. Based on the initial statements by student organizations and a “Tide Against Tyranny” petition that has already garnered over 2,300 signatures, another such protest appears almost guaranteed.
UACD president Braden Vick told APR in a text message that “we’re certainly not amused by the Bell administration once again rolling out the red carpet for a fascist who lost this campus twice in a row.”
“Usually, when someone kidnaps one of our students, we don’t let the kidnapper turn our biggest event of the year into a campaign rally,” he added.
In a statement uploaded to UACD’s Instagram account Tuesday afternoon, the club stated that “given that the White House has pulled federal funding from colleges and universities across our country, we understand if the Bell administration may be stuck between a rock and a hard place.” They also wrote, however, that “this insult will not go unanswered.”
In a similar statement, the Queer Student Association’s executive board argued that it is “unacceptable that the University is allowing a figure that attacks marginalized communities to speak for our institution.”
The UA College Democrats sought to protest Trump’s visit to campus last September. And recent campus protests in support of Palestine and against decisions by the university administration perceived as reducing LGBTQ+ students’ freedoms have drawn dozens of participants each time.
Hundreds of Tuscaloosa residents including members and leaders of UA student organizations also participated in the anti-Trump “Hands Off!” protest outside the city’s federal courthouse earlier this month.
