Speakers At Harvard University Graduation Ceremony Discuss Trump Administration’s Attacks

Speakers at Harvard University's graduation ceremony made many references to the Trump Administration's ongoing attacks on the school.

Transcript

00:00In the face of immense pressure, Harvard, under President Garber's steady

00:07leadership, has been very visible for taking decisions worthy of your

00:13university's heritage. Decisions that reveal and will shape this university's

00:20character.

00:36Graduates, the decisions you make in the future, when under pressure, will say

00:42something about your character, while they will also shape and transform you in

00:47unexpected ways. Make your decisions worthy of those who supported, nurtured,

00:54and sacrificed for you.

00:59A part of what makes America great, if I may use that phrase, is that it allows an

01:07immigrant like me to blossom here, just as generations of other immigrants and

01:14their children, have flourished and contributed in every walk of life, working

01:21to keep America great.

01:35I don't have to tell you that this is also an unprecedented moment for Harvard

01:41University. In this institution's almost four-century existence, there has probably

01:48never been more attention-focused on you than in these last few months, weeks, days.

01:57Honestly, in coming to your campus, I feel very much like a medieval messenger who had

02:05to sneak through the encircling forces and slip into your besieged community.

02:13A cascade of draconian government measures has already led to so much uncertainty, so

02:21much pain and suffering in this country and across the globe, and more has been threatened.

02:29The outrage you must feel, the outrage so many feel, also must surely lead us to a new appreciation.

02:44Appreciation for the rule of law and due process, which till now...

02:50Appreciation for the rule of law and due process, which till now we took for granted, because

03:07this is America, after all, and appreciation for those committed to truth, veritas, at a time

03:17when the absence of truth has come to feel almost normal.

03:25The purpose of our time here really starts today, as we leave campus.

03:30And especially as we leave a much different campus than the one we entered, with Harvard

03:36at the center of a national battle over higher education in America.

03:42Now look, our university is certainly imperfect, but I am proud to stand today alongside our graduating

03:51class, our faculty, and our president, with the shared conviction that this ongoing project

04:00of Veritas is one worth defending.

04:03No recent events can diminish what each of you has accomplished here.

04:15Graduates, I also want you to know you have the admiration and the good wishes of so many beyond Harvard.

04:25More people than you realize.

04:28More people than you realize are grateful.

04:30More people than you realize are grateful to Harvard for the example it has set.

04:47By your willingness to look inward, to make painful and necessary changes, but then ultimately,

04:56by your clarity in affirming and courageously defending the essential values of this university,

05:05and indeed, of this nation.

05:08Welcome family and friends, champions and supporters.

05:21Welcome guests from down the street, across the country, and around the world.

05:28And welcome members of the class of 2025.

05:41Members of the class of 2025, from down the street, across the country, and around the world.

05:51Around the world, just as it should be.