Donald Trump makes West Point speech as protests continue – live | US news

4.14pm BST16:14

Trump outlines his isolationist message by telling the graduates that the US is not “the policeman of the world” but says if “our people are threatened, we will never hesitate to act”. He adds that his administration has embarked on a “colossal” rebuilding of the armed forces after it was depleted by “endless wars”.

He also returns to one of his pet projects, saying that the new Space Force is a “big deal”. Trump then pays tribute to CJ Morgan, a member of the graduating class killed in a training accident.

4.04pm BST16:04

Trump congratulates the Army football team for ending arch-rivals Navy’s winning streak, which draws a big cheer from the graduates.

4.01pm BST16:01

Trump mentions how the army has helped win the battle against slavery and communism, and helped protect civil rights (although some West Point graduates fought for the Confederacy in the civil war).

3.57pm BST15:57

Trump asks the cadets to stand and applaud their parents and families, which they do. The president then brings in some politics, repeating an old, unproven claim as he thanks the military for helping fight Covid-19, a virus “that came from a foreign land called China”.

3.53pm BST15:53

The superintendent of the US Military Academy, Darryl A Williams, stands to make his address. He shares a stage with Trump – everyone on the platform with the president has been tested for Covid-19. He then introduces Trump.

The president congratulates the class on graduating, and talks about the achievements of the US army down the years. It’s usual Trump language with plenty of talk of large weapons and enemies who have been sent through the “gates of hell”. He thanks the graduates for answering “their nation’s call”.

3.41pm BST15:41

The West Point band plays some musical with a few speeches peppered in between. There are a few references to the army being open to all communities and races, possibly a reference to the recent protests. But they mainly pay tribute to the military – and America – as a whole.

3.30pm BST15:30

Donald Trump has arrived at West Point amid a 21-gun salute. He will soon address the more than 1,000 graduates at the United States Military Academy. It’s a beautiful morning in New York state and the ceremony will take place outside, with the graduates sat 6ft apart.

3.20pm BST15:20

A lawyer for the family of George Floyd says they will file a civil lawsuit against Derek Chauvin, the police officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck in the minutes leading up to his death.

“[Floyd’s family] intends on holding Derek Chauvin fully accountable in every aspect, criminal and civil,” Benjamin Crump told CNN on Saturday.

Chauvin is also facing a second-degree murder charge over the killing of Floyd last month. CNN reports that Chauvin could still receive more than $1m in pension payments even if he is convicted.

Crump also said that problems in Minneapolis went far beyond Chauvin. “It wasn’t just the knee of Derek Chauvin that killed George Floyd in Minneapolis, it was the knee of the entire police department,” he said. “Because when you have that kind of culture and behavior of a police department, it is foreseeable that something like this is going to happen.”

3.10pm BST15:10

Martin Pengelly

At West Point this morning Donald Trump will deliver a speech controversial by its very occurrence and due to tensions between the president and leaders of the US armed forces.

With New York state only beginning its reopening after the coronavirus outbreak, Trump will address graduates at the United States Military Academy, 40 miles up the Hudson river from New York City.

The city has been a global hotspot for Covid-19, recording more than 213,000 cases and more than 21,000 deaths.

Across the US, graduation ceremonies and commencement speeches have taken place online. But the 1,100 graduating cadets at West Point, who had been at home since early March, just before lockdowns began, were brought back to campus late last month.

They immediately underwent coronavirus testing and more than 15 who tested positive were isolated for two weeks before rejoining their classmates.

Some have decried the decision to bring the graduating second lieutenants back to campus to hear the president speak during a public health crisis. A group called Veterans For Peace announced a protest outside West Point’s main gate on Saturday, against what it called “Trump’s dangerous narcissistic Photo-Op Stunt at the West Point Graduation”.

Further strain has been placed on what would normally be one of the showpiece events of US public life by Trump’s pronouncements and actions in regard to widespread civil unrest over the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.

The president both threatened to use active duty troops against protesters and staged a controversial photo op at St John’s church, near the White House, before which peaceful demonstrators were teargassed and attacked by federal officers.

Gen Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the defense secretary, Mark Esper, joined Trump on his walk to the church. Both have said they should not have done so.

2.51pm BST14:51

A pertinent story coming out of Atlanta as protests continue over, among other things, police killings in the United States.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is looking into an incident during which Atlanta police shot and killed a man. Police responded to a report that a man was asleep in a car and blocking traffic at a Wendy’s drive-thru. The GBI says there was a struggle when police attempted to take the man into custody and he was shot and killed. “It has also been reported that the male subject was shot by an officer in the struggle over [a] Taser,” the GBI said in a statement.

A small crowd gathered at the site of the shooting to protest at the death, according to the Associated Press. The identity of the dead man has not been released. Reports on social media – which have not been confirmed – say he was African American.

2.18pm BST14:18

Hello, welcome to our live coverage of the ongoing protests against racism and police brutality in the US and around the world, now into their third week since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on 25 May.

Donald Trump will address US military graduates at West Point this morning, at a time when the president looks increasingly out of touch with the public – and many within his own party. We’ll be covering his address and events from around the country and the world. In the meantime, here’s David Smith on Trump’s last few weeks:

Updated
at 2.34pm BST

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