President Trump will not speak at US Naval Academy graduation, breaking recent tradition

The United States Naval Academy is breaking tradition this year for graduation.

Historically, the Annapolis military academy has cycled through four speakers on a rotation: the secretary of the Navy, the secretary of Defense, the vice president and the president.

This spring, it would have been President Donald Trump’s turn, since Vice President JD Vance spoke last fall.

Instead, the class of 2026 will hear remarks from Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at their commencement ceremony on Friday. Caine is the nation’s highest-ranking military officer and the principal military advisor to the president, secretary of Defense and National Security Council.

“Speaker participation at U.S. service academy graduation and commissioning ceremonies has traditionally included senior national leaders such as the United States President, Vice President, Secretary of War, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” said Ashley Hockycko, public affairs officer at the academy, in a statement on Tuesday. “While they generally rotate among the academies, these arrangements are not fixed and are routinely adjusted based on official schedules, operational requirements, and availability.”

Caine is the first Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman who never served at the rank of four-star general or admiral before being nominated, and the first to be nominated while in retirement. He is a venture capitalist and previously served as the associate director for military affairs at the CIA from 2021 to 2024.

The Naval Academy had been unusually mum about this year’s graduation speaker, waiting until less than a week before commencement to announce it publicly. Vance, who delivered the remarks last year, was announced more than three weeks before the ceremony.

The Naval Academy waits for the speaker’s office to announce the address first, said Elizabeth B. Wrightson, director of media relations for the academy. On Monday afternoon, neither the Joint Chiefs of Staff website nor its social media had announced Caine’s address.

Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the academy in 2021, and President Joe Biden followed her in 2022.

In 2017, Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the academy’s graduation. The next year, Trump spoke.

Graduation will take place at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The ceremony is invitation only and will not be open to the public, but it will be live-streamed.

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