May 31, 2019
From 'mein Mädchen' to 'leader of the free world,' Angela Merkel is winding down her political career
President Donald Trump was the 2019 commencement speaker at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Thursday.
“In all things and ways, we are putting America first, and it’s about time,” Trump told the graduating class of just under1,000 cadets. “And we are restoring the fundamental principle that our first obligation and highest loyalty is to the American citizen. No longer will we sacrifice America’s interests to any foreign power. We don’t do that anymore.”
Across the country at Harvard University, new graduates heard a very different message on commencement day.
“Changes for the better are possible if we tackle them together,” Germany's Angela Merkel told the graduating seniors in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “If we want to go it alone, we could not achieve much. More than ever, our way of thinking and our actions have to be multilateral rather than unilateral.”
Listen to Julianne Smith's full conversation on PRI's The World.
More from CNAS
-
Donald Trump’s Iran Strategy Is ‘Confused, Not Calculated’
Video
Donald Trump’s plan for Iran is not a deliberate strategy but rather a “stream of consciousness” as his lack of clear objectives risk serious global consequences, says former ...
By Jim Townsend
-
The War in Iran, a Benefit to Putin
Podcast
While the world's attention has turned to the war with Iran, the war in Ukraine continues. Russia has seemingly kicked off its spring offensive, but a meaningful breakthrough ...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
The United States, Iran, and the Risk to NATO
Podcast
On March 14, in the wake of a global energy shock triggered by the United States military campaign against Iran, President Donald Trump called on allies to help reopen the Str...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
Europe’s New Nuclear Deterrence Debate and France’s Answer
Podcast
On March 2, 2026, in a speech at France’s Île Longue base, French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled major changes to France’s nuclear deterrence doctrine. First, Macron annou...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
