Unpacking claim Trump left West Point graduation early without honoring diploma ceremony tradition, then played golf

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Unpacking claim Trump left West Point graduation early without honoring diploma ceremony tradition, then played golf

Claim:

Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s May 24, 2025, commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he departed early without honoring a tradition of staying during the diploma ceremony, with a video showing him shortly thereafter golfing on the same day at his Bedminster, New Jersey, club.

Rating:

Rating: Mixture

What’s True:

Trump did, during his address, honor the service and sacrifice of graduating cadets, but he left the West Point graduation early, after delivering his speech and prior to the diploma ceremony, breaking a tradition honored each year by recent former U.S. presidents. Those presidents included, for example, Joe Biden, Trump during his first term, Barack Obama and George W. Bush. During Trump’s 2025 address, he did not specifically mention not planning to shake hands with the cadets but did say, “I’m going back now to deal with Russia, to deal with China.” In an email to Snopes, a White House spokesperson labeled the rumor as “a non-story,” then alleged without providing evidence that the president shook “hundreds” of hands prior to his speech.

 

What’s Undetermined:

It’s unclear whether Trump played golf later on the same day, or if a widely shared video of Trump riding in a golf cart shows him playing golf right after his speech, after arriving at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey. The video depicts a driver, whom we have not yet identified, transporting Trump in a golf cart near a helicopter that serves as Marine One. In the clip, Trump is wearing a suit — not golfing clothes — with no golf clubs visible on the rear of the cart.

 

In late May 2025, online users shared a rumor claiming that, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s May 24, 2025, commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York, he departed early without honoring a tradition of staying to honor graduates during the diploma ceremony. A very brief video shared claimed to show him shortly thereafter golfing on the same day at his Bedminster, New Jersey, club.

For example, a user on Bluesky

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

) a video with the caption, “Trump told West Point cadets at their graduation that he wouldn’t be able to shake their hands, a tradition among U.S. presidents, because he had urgent matters to deal with on China and Russia. This was him ‘dealing’ with China and Russia moments later. He went golfing.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

) and/or the rumor

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

),

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

),

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

),

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

) and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

).

While Trump did, during his address, honor the service and sacrifice of graduating cadets, it’s true that he left the West Point graduation early, after delivering his speech and prior to the diploma ceremony, breaking a tradition honored every year by recent former U.S. presidents. Those presidents included, for example, Joe Biden, Trump during his first term, Barack Obama and George W. Bush. During his address, he did not specifically mention not planning to shake hands with the cadets but did say, “I’m going back now to deal with Russia, to deal with China.”

At the same time, it’s unclear as of this writing whether Trump played golf later on the same day, or if a widely shared video of Trump riding in a golf cart shows him playing golf right after his speech, after landing at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey. We have not yet established the time and date when the clip was recorded, depicting a driver, whom we have not yet identified, transporting Trump in a golf cart near a helicopter that serves as Marine One. In the clip, Trump is wearing a suit — not golfing clothes — with no golf clubs visible on the rear of the cart. In other words, it’s possible the golf cart simply transported Trump elsewhere on the property and had nothing to do with him playing golf.

Snopes contacted the White House by email to ask various questions about this matter, all noted later in this story. In part, a White House spokesperson called the rumor “a non-story,” and claimed without yet providing photo or video proof that Trump shook “hundreds” of hands of military leaders and cadets before delivering his graduation speech.

Breaking down the rumor

The

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

channels for

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

hosted lengthy videos showing the majority of the May 24 West Point graduation, which took place at Michie Stadium in West Point, New York.

Trump’s address featured moments directly addressing cadets, as well as

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

similar to his campaign rallies. During his speech, he singled out academic accomplishments and asked various cadets to stand for recognition. He also

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

at least three cadets and shook their hands. Trump then closed his speech by telling the crowd, “So I just want to congratulate you all. I’m going back now to deal with Russia, to deal with China.” He accepted a framed class photo as a gift from another cadet,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

and then walked out of the venue while clapping and pumping his fist in recognition of the graduates and crowd. After he departed the field at the stadium, organizers began the diploma ceremony.

Research for this rumor located a presidential

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

on RollCall.com, listing Trump’s arrival at West Point at 8:15 a.m. ET, his speech at 10:15 a.m., his departure from West Point at 11:15 a.m. and his arrival to Trump National Golf Club Bedminster at 11:45 a.m. The schedule also displayed a “full lid called” by the White House Press Office at 12:11 p.m., terminology

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

no further planned events on that day for members of the press. Snopes did not yet learn any further details about activities occurring later that day.

Regarding the video of the golf cart driver transporting Trump near the helicopter, that clip showed at least one other golf cart behind Trump’s cart. A search for further information located a somewhat similar

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

) from April. That video, possibly recorded at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach in Florida, showed numerous golf carts acting as a presidential motorcade to transport the president from one of his Marine helicopters to another on-site location — also with no golf clubs visible, just like the in-question clip. Another

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

) posted by an

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

user claimed to show Trump departing one of his Marine helicopters on May 24, possibly after his West Point address. The clip shows him walking over to a golf cart motorcade similar to the video from April, suggesting the motorcade’s purpose was transporting him to another part of the property.

WH claims Trump shook ‘hundreds’ of hands prior to speech

In Snopes’ email to the White House, we asked about users’ claims of Trump not staying to observe the diploma ceremony and shake cadets’ hands, as well as inquired about whether the in-question video shows Trump preparing to go golfing, or if it depicts someone simply transporting him elsewhere on the grounds for non-golfing purposes. We also asked about a photo

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

) to Trump’s Truth Social account on the following morning allegedly showing a white swan biting a “friend” on a golf course, specifically inquiring if the incident occurred on May 24, May 25 or another day, seeing as Trump may have golfed with the pictured person.

A White House spokesperson quickly replied to the email but did not specifically address the video or the swan photo. Instead, the person called the rumor about Trump not staying for the diploma ceremony “a non-story” and that, without providing evidence, he “shook hundreds of hands of military leaders and cadets right before his speech.” The White House did not yet provide proof of this claim of Trump shaking “hundreds” of hands right before his speech. The statement read, in part:

This is a non-story–President Trump shook hundreds of hands of military leaders and cadets right before his speech and has shaken the hands of thousands of military members during his first and second term. He has done more to support military men and women than any president in history which is why military recruitment is soaring under his leadership as Commander in Chief. The President has scheduled important calls with Russia and China to end the wars and ensure lasting peace.

Regarding the claim about “soaring” military recruitment, a U.S. Department of Defense

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

and a Military.com

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, both published in the weeks before the 2024 election, reported a rise in recruitment — positive news occurring in the final year of Biden’s term in office — and that, at the time, all military branches met recruiting goals following years of not achieving those goals.

The White House’

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

accounts featured a

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

and an

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

from the graduation, as well as pictures on the White House

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

), though none of the pictures or brief clips showed Trump shaking “hundreds” of hands prior to his speech. The photo libraries for

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

also contained no media depicting Trump shaking “hundreds” of hands before his address. Snopes will update this article should any evidentiary photos or videos surface following the publishing of this story.

Tradition honored by Biden, Obama and Bush

Online searches for information about recent past U.S. presidents delivering military commencement addresses and remaining present for diploma ceremonies found evidence going back at least a quarter century.

Biden delivered military graduates’ diplomas during ceremonies in all four of his years in office. In

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, he mostly just posed for photos after handing out diplomas, while in

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

he shook hands.

During Trump’s first term, he delivered diplomas, shook hands and posed for photos in

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

. In

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, he handed out diplomas and shook hands. Then, in

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, during a socially distanced ceremony early in the COVID-19 pandemic, he stood and saluted numerous times as speakers called out graduates’ names.

Evidence also showed Obama observing diploma ceremonies with handshakes and posed photos in

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, as well as George W. Bush in

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Sources:

“Biden Delivers Commencement Address at the US Air Force Academy.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, Fox Business, 1 June 2023,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Boghosian, Joyce. “President Bush Delivers Commencement Address at United States Coast Guard Academy.” The White House | George W. Bush, 23 May 2007,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Branum, Don. “Obama to Class of 2012: Your Spirit Is Essence of America.” U.S. Air Force Academy, 23 May 2012,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“Donald J. Trump’s Public Schedule.” Roll Call Factba.se,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Goddard, Taegan. “Lid.” Political Dictionary,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Hewitt, Kimberlee. “President Delivers Commencement Address at the United States Merchant Marine Academy.” The White House | George W. Bush, 19 June 2006,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Kai, ****. “File:President Barack Obama Shakes Hands with a Graduate of The …” Wikimedia Commons, 24 May 2013,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Kaplan, Mike. “President’s Handshake.” U.S. Department of Defense, 2 June 2016,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Kim, Seung Min, and Ali Swenson. “Trump’s Speech to West Point Graduates Mixes Praise, Politics and Grievances.” The Associated Press, 24 May 2025,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“LIVE: Trump at West Point Commencement | FOX 4 News.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, 24 May 2025,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

McGhee, Tom. “Bush Preps Cadets on Modern War.” The Denver Post, 28 May 2008,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Morse, Paul. “President George W. Bush Waves to Family and Friends of a Cadet during Graduation Ceremonies at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD Friday, May 25. WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BY PAUL MORSE.” The White House | George W. Bush, 25 May 2001,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“Naval Academy Commencement, Diplomas | Video.” C-SPAN.org, 22 May 2009,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“Obama Gives Coast Guard Commencement.” CTPost, 19 May 2011,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Olay, Matthew. “Recruitment Rises 12.5% Despite Ongoing Challenges.” U.S. Department of Defense, 31 Oct. 2024,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“President Biden Delivers Commencement Address at the Coast Guard Academy.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, Yahoo Finance, 19 May 2021,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“President Biden Delivers the 2024 Commencement Address at the U.S. Military Academy.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, The Biden White House, 25 May 2024,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“President Bush Delivers Graduation Speech at West Point.” The White House | George W. Bush, 1 June 2002,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“President Bush Speaks at Air Force Academy Graduation.” The White House | George W. Bush, 2 June 2004,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“President Delivers Commencement Address at Coast Guard.” The White House | George W. Bush, 21 May 2003,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“President Donald Trump Speech At Coast Guard Academy Commencement (Full) | The New York Times.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, The New York Times, 17 May 2017,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“President Obama at West Point Commencement.” The White House | President Barack Obama, 22 May 2010,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“President Trump Addresses the Army Academy’s Class of 2025.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, The White House, 24 May 2025,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“President Trump Goes Off-Script at West Point Commencement Speech, Brings Cadets on Stage | News 12.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, News 12, 24 May 2025,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“President Trump Shakes the Hand of Every Cadet Graduating from the Air Force Academy.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, Denver7, 30 May 2019,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

@realmichaelsolakiewicz. “President Donald J Trump Spending the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster!”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, 24 May 2025,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Schwarz, Hunter. “Obama Does Some World-Class Mugging for the Camera with Coast Guard Grads.” The Washington Post, 20 May 2015,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Tierney, Kevin H. “050127-M-0000A-072.” U.S. Marine Corps, 27 Jan. 2005,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Toropin, Konstantin, et al. “Prep Courses, Policy Tweaks Largely Drove the Military’s Recruiting Success in 2024.” Military.com, 7 Feb. 2025,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“Trump Gives Commencement Speech at U.S. Naval Academy.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, Washington Post, 25 May 2018,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“TRUMP Turns GOLF CART into Makeshift ‘PRESIDENTIAL LIMO’ after Stepping off MARINE ONE.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, Diario AS, 4 Apr. 2025,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“US President Barack Obama Shakes Hands with a Female Cadet at Graduation Ceremonies at the U.S. Military Academy May 28, 2014 in West Point, New York Stock Photo – Alamy.” Alamy, 28 May 2014,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“USMA Class of 2025 Graduation Ceremony.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, West Point – The U.S. Military Academy, 24 May 2025,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“WATCH LIVE: President Biden Addresses the United States Naval Academy’s Graduating Class of 2022.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, Yahoo Finance, 27 May 2022,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“West Point Commencement Address | Video.” C-SPAN.org, 13 June 2020,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#Unpacking #claim #Trump #left #West #Point #graduation #early #honoring #diploma #ceremony #tradition #played #golf

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

For verified travel tips and real support, visit: https://hopzone.eu/