President Trump holds a Commander-in-Chief trophy presentation to the Navy Midshipmen at the White House.
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00:00Thank you very much.
00:30Thank you very much.
01:00Thank you very much.
01:30Thank you very much.
02:00Thank you very much.
02:29Thank you very much, everybody.
02:55Please.
02:59Good to be with you.
03:01Good-looking people behind me.
03:04Too many good-looking people.
03:05Never like that many.
03:07They look great.
03:08We had a wonderful team here yesterday, Ohio State.
03:12They also had an incredible season, as you know.
03:15And we had the Dodgers here.
03:17They just won the World Series last year, World Series.
03:20So we have a lot of people celebrating at the White House.
03:23There's no place like it, very special, very, very special.
03:26And it's an honor to have you all.
03:28And I want to say, number one, at ease.
03:30Just enjoy yourself.
03:32You can take it.
03:33I'm the boss here.
03:34You can take it.
03:35You're going to have to listen to them for that.
03:36You're going to have a good day.
03:38And if it's okay, I'm going to invite you over to the Oval Office when we're finished
03:44and present you with a little something special.
03:46Okay?
03:47Let's finish up, and we'll head over to the Oval Office together.
03:52Okay.
03:54Today, it's a great honor to officially present the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy to the 2024 Navy Midshipman football team.
04:02A great team.
04:03Really great team.
04:04Great people.
04:14Congratulations.
04:14And we're thrilled to be joined by a proud Marine Corps veteran Vice President, J.D. Vance.
04:21J.D.?
04:22Where is J.D.?
04:24What the hell happened to J.D.?
04:26Because he was just here.
04:28He must have gotten a call from China.
04:32He'll be here.
04:34Along with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
04:37Thank you, Pete, very much.
04:38You're doing a great job, too.
04:41The Houthis aren't doing very well, but you're doing well, aren't you?
04:45Secretary of the Navy, John Phelan, a friend of mine.
04:48Great guy.
04:49Very successful person, by the way.
04:51Our new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Raisincane.
04:55Where is he?
04:56There he is.
04:57I talked about him in my speeches for years.
05:00Who knew I was going to be appointing him to be the top?
05:02And it's an honor.
05:04It's a real honor.
05:05Everything you did with me was perfect.
05:07I said, what happened to that guy Raisin Cain?
05:09I want him.
05:11And that's what happened.
05:12And so you're going to do a great job.
05:14I have no doubt about it.
05:15Thanks, Dan.
05:16Acting Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral James Kilby.
05:21Admiral?
05:22Congratulations.
05:24And Superintendent of the Naval Academy, Vice Admiral Yvette Davids.
05:28Oh, hello, Yvette.
05:33How are you, Yvette?
05:34But I especially want to thank and congratulate Athletic Director Chet Gladchuck, who will soon
05:41retire after 24 years.
05:42I looked at him.
05:43I said, this is a young-looking guy.
05:45I don't like this retirement stuff.
05:46But after 24 years, and he's going to do other things, I guarantee you that will also be incredible.
05:53But it's going to be very hard to top what he's done as Athletic Director.
05:58He's had the honor of four national championships, 251 conference titles, and 352 All-American athletes.
06:08That's not bad.
06:09Where are you?
06:10Where are you?
06:12That is not bad.
06:16So, you had all of these All-American athletes.
06:23Any name athlete that really stands out, or were they just all great athletes?
06:27Everyone, as far as you're concerned, they're all the same, right?
06:31Great job you've done.
06:33What a record that is.
06:34Who has a record like that?
06:35I also want to thank some of the newly appointed members of the Naval Academy's Board of Visitors.
06:41Sean Spicer is here, and Walt Nauta.
06:44Now, Walt could be, you know, he's thinking about going to Guam someday, and he'll be taking
06:50over as governor.
06:51But we won't mention that right now, Walt, will we?
06:55He's fantastic.
06:56He's been with me for a long time, and he's great.
06:58And Sean, where's Sean Spicer?
06:59Sean, congratulations.
07:01This is a great honor.
07:03I can tell you, a lot of people wanted that position, so you guys are going to do it well.
07:08I have no doubt about it.
07:09The story of this incredible season began last February when the Navy football team entered
07:15the weight room for the winter workouts.
07:18I wish I could have joined you, but I just never was, I was never too much into lifting weights.
07:23I should have, I should have done it.
07:25I could have been president someday if I didn't.
07:28After four disappointing seasons, it was so disappointing, your coach, Brian Newberry,
07:34plastered pictures of this magnificent trophy on every wall to remind you of the ultimate
07:40prize.
07:41And in 2024, you lived up to Coach Newberry's vision, and you showed the world, the midshipmen,
07:47and that you know how to fight, fight, fight, and win, win, win, right?
07:51And that's what you did.
07:52That's what you did.
07:53That's a, wow.
07:56That's a hell of a trophy.
07:58How much is that weight?
07:59I don't know.
07:59Am I supposed to carry that?
08:01I don't think it can be done.
08:02I hear it's quite heavy, actually.
08:04You won 10 of 13 games, including nine by double digits.
08:09You beat Air Force.
08:10You beat Army.
08:11And now this 170-pound trophy, that's what it is.
08:15It's yours once again.
08:17And I have to tell you, you had some brilliant players.
08:21On offense, you were led by an incredible fullback, team co-captain, Daba Fofana.
08:28Where is Daba?
08:29Where are you?
08:30Daba Fofana.
08:35So, is he hard?
08:41Coach, is he a hard guy to tackle?
08:43Could I tackle him running, folks?
08:45You don't suggest it, right?
08:48You want to say something?
08:49Come on.
08:57I'm just going to say we couldn't have done it without Brian Newberry here, my co-captain
09:02here, Colin Ramos, and just everyone buying into the mission.
09:05And I'm excited.
09:07Praise the Lord.
09:08That's a great player, huh?
09:18That's great.
09:19Thank you very much.
09:19It's really beautiful.
09:21We have, on offense, we have a quarterback who is also very, very special.
09:27I hear he's great.
09:28Blake Horvath.
09:29Blake, where are you, Blake?
09:30Come on up here.
09:32He said both strong and accurate arm.
09:41Please.
09:42Oh, appreciate it.
09:43Appreciate it.
09:44No, it's an honor, right, to share this stage with President Trump.
09:47And, you know, I speak for the team when I say that.
09:49So, thank you for having us.
09:50And, you know, it's all about the team.
09:51Trophy's a team, team, team.
09:53So, you know, great honor.
09:54Thank you, sir.
09:55Are you being back?
09:56Yes, sir.
09:56I'll be back next year.
09:57Oh, I'll be back next year.
09:58Thank you very much, Blake.
10:06We're going to all be watching.
10:09This year, Blake tied the school record for touchdown passes in a single season, rushed
10:13for more than 1,200 yards.
10:16Wow.
10:16That's pretty good.
10:17And set a new school record for the longest rushing touchdown when he faked a handoff during
10:23a read option, carrying the ball 95 yards into the end zone to help beat Oklahoma.
10:29That's a serious team.
10:31We're not playing games here, Coach.
10:33Wow.
10:34Is he a pretty good runner?
10:36Is he fast?
10:37He is.
10:38That's amazing.
10:39Won 95 yards for a quarterback.
10:40I'd say that's pretty good.
10:42But because of your teamwork, the midshipmen had the sixth best rushing offense and the
10:47number one red zone touchdown offense.
10:50That's a big deal in all of college football, a truly amazing achievement.
10:55But to succeed, you have to excel on both sides of the ball.
10:59And the midshipmen had the number four ranked red zone defense, led by one of the best tacklers
11:05in college football, linebacker and defensive captain, Colin Ramones.
11:09It's an absolute honor to be here.
11:21It was an amazing season.
11:23I'm so proud of these guys.
11:24And thank you, President Trump, for having us.
11:26Really an honor.
11:27I'll bet you're a tough guy.
11:28To do that, you've got to be tough.
11:31Come here.
11:31Congratulations.
11:32Opposing teams feared your secondary, especially the first ever midshipman with two pick sixes
11:46in a single game.
11:48Comeback.
11:48It was a big comeback to Sean Peel.
11:52Yeah, we're just very grateful to be here.
12:06Yeah, that's it, really.
12:07It's called the strong, silent type, right?
12:22Thank you very much to Sean.
12:23And no one can forget contributions of the All-Star Safety Special Teams Player of the
12:28Year and, I guess, an NFL prospect.
12:31A number of them are Ray Lane.
12:34Ray?
12:34Ray Lane.
12:34Ray?
12:34Ray Lane.
12:37Yeah, I just want to say it's an honor to be here.
12:43Thank you for the support.
12:45And, you know, go Navy, beat Army.
12:54In December, I was honored to personally attend the 125th Army-Navy game in a battle that would
13:01be one of the best ever between the schools.
13:05It really went down to the history books, Coach.
13:09After you held the lead all game, the fourth quarter Army offense prepared to tie it up.
13:15They were getting right down there.
13:17I was there to watch.
13:18And you showed something that was amazing.
13:20You showed a very brilliant game time.
13:23Coach IQ, I guess you'd call that, huh?
13:26Were you happy with the end?
13:27Yes, you were very happy.
13:28Did you think you were going to win the game at that point?
13:31Okay, he's got to say that, but it was pretty amazing, actually.
13:35You faked the fourth down punt and gave the ball to the six-foot-tall, 285-pound nose guard,
13:43Landon Robinson, who found the seam and rumbled 29 yards down the field to clinch the victory
13:50and to beat Army.
13:52Okay, where are you now?
13:53Where are you now?
13:59Wow.
14:00I wouldn't want to tackle him.
14:03Thank you, sir.
14:04First off, I just wanted to say thank you to Mr. President for inviting us.
14:07Super thankful.
14:08I wouldn't be here without my teammates, you know, without my coaches for, you know,
14:11calling the play and making sure that it was open for us to run it.
14:14So super thankful and excited for years to come.
14:17Great job.
14:18Thank you, sir.
14:18Appreciate that.
14:19That'd be a hard guy to tackle, wouldn't it, Coach?
14:27It's painful.
14:28It's called painful.
14:30Great job.
14:31With the win this trophy, you secure your spot as one of the greatest teams in Navy football history.
14:37That's a tremendous honor.
14:38You've had some great teams.
14:40As president, I have no higher honor than serving as the commander-in-chief of the America's armed forces.
14:47And I have to tell you that I've gotten to know so many of the people at the academy, not only football players, just people generally.
14:56Roger Starbuck, who's a friend of mine and a great person, played golf with him.
15:03And the last shot, last time I played with him, he hit a shot.
15:06It looked like we were in trouble, looked like we were in trouble, and he came out from behind a tree from about 130 yards away.
15:13He had no shot to the green, and it ended up about six inches from the hole.
15:16And I said, well, that's Roger Starbuck, you know, right?
15:19That's him.
15:19He was great.
15:20I tell you, when he played, he was, he'd drop back, and he was just, he was in a different league.
15:27He was really amazing.
15:28What a player.
15:29What a player.
15:30What a great guy he is.
15:30But he loves, he loves your place.
15:34Since I took the oath of office, the spirit of our military is soared to new heights.
15:39Today, I'm proud to announce that in February, the U.S. Navy had its best recruiting numbers since 2002.
15:46That's a long time ago.
15:47And under my administration, the Navy is on track to have the best recruiting year since the start of the war and the war on terror.
15:56But going back further than that, probably 25 to 30 years.
16:01So I can say this strongly.
16:04About seven months ago, Pete, they were having numbers that were a disaster.
16:10And over the last two months, two and a half months, the numbers have gone through the roof.
16:16So it's great.
16:18Michael, same thing.
16:20And the numbers went through the roof.
16:23And it's also true with all of the armed forces.
16:27And it's true with our police, with our firemen.
16:29There's a lot of spirit right now in the country that we didn't have six months ago.
16:33So that's an honor.
16:35But you have your highest recruiting numbers in about 20 years.
16:39And that's fantastic.
16:40That's pretty good, Sean, when you hear that, right?
16:43Pretty good.
16:43You can be proud.
16:44Within this amazing group of young men are 23 seniors who will graduate next month, including
16:5013 Navy ensigns and 10 Marine Corps second lieutenants.
16:54Over the past four years, they've grown morally, mentally, and physically in preparation for
16:59their service to our nation.
17:01They're not just great football players.
17:03And you can see this, that they are just amazing people.
17:06They're true American warriors and future submarine captains and fighter pilots and marine infantry
17:12and Navy SEALs.
17:14And we have the...
17:15I shouldn't say this too loud because some people aren't thrilled, but I'm thrilled.
17:20We have the largest budget we've ever had.
17:23We're buying gorgeous new ships, gorgeous new.
17:26And, John, you're going to be working on that.
17:28He's a great John.
17:28John Phelan's a great businessman, one of the best.
17:31And you're going to get that job done.
17:34And we're going to make them beautiful looking ships too.
17:36The look is very important to me, John.
17:39You know, a lot of times they'll show me a ship or a plane and they...
17:42I say, that doesn't look good.
17:44They say, well, it's stealth.
17:46I said, I don't care if it's stealth or not.
17:48We're going to change it if we have to.
17:50I'm not sure I believe so much in the stealth thing.
17:52But we want the most beautiful equipment, the best equipment.
17:56That's what we're going to get.
17:57And you're going to lead the way.
17:58And I'll help you too, because I like doing that stuff.
18:00And we're going to get a lot of ships, a lot of planes.
18:02And for all of the armed services.
18:04So I appreciate it, John.
18:06Do a job.
18:07And I just say to the general behind me, your commitment is something very special.
18:13And as long as I'm Commander-in-Chief, the United States will always have the strongest,
18:18fiercest, and most powerful Navy on the sea.
18:20And again, we're going to restock it like it hasn't been restocked before.
18:25We're going to have a trillion-dollar budget.
18:27Think of it.
18:27You know, it's like crazy.
18:29It's crazy, but more than anybody else, by double.
18:33And we're going to be in a league.
18:36I rebuilt our own forces in my first term.
18:40Got them almost entirely rebuilt.
18:42Then we had a catastrophe known as Biden.
18:45And in Afghanistan, he gave so much of the equipment away.
18:49But still, it was only a small fraction of what we had done.
18:53And we're restocking it now.
18:55And we're going to have something that nobody's ever had before.
18:58So I'm counting on all of you people in the front to get out there.
19:02And we've got to get the best equipment in the world.
19:04And we're going to pay the price.
19:06But we're going to get the best equipment in the world.
19:08We have to have it.
19:09Lots of ammunition, too.
19:11We get a little low on ammunition.
19:12I came into office, and they said, first time, they said, sir, we're very low on ammunition.
19:17I said, don't say that to the enemy.
19:19I don't want the enemy to hear that.
19:21I came in this time, and they said, sir, you're low on ammunition again.
19:24We gave a lot of it away.
19:25You know that.
19:26But we have to keep a lot of it.
19:27We have to keep it for ourselves also.
19:29So we're going to work together, and we're going to do something great, Pete.
19:32And you're going to do a fantastic job doing the job you're already doing.
19:36You've made a big impact.
19:37So I'd like to now introduce a very special man, a great coach.
19:41You would rate him great, right?
19:42Good or great?
19:44Good.
19:44Oh, boy, am I glad you said that.
19:46Would I be in trouble if he said anything?
19:49But there's nothing much you can say because we see his record.
19:51So, Coach, could you say a couple of words, please?
19:54Brian Newbrook.
20:04Good afternoon.
20:05Thank you, Mr. President.
20:06Thank you, man.
20:08And many thanks to your staff for taking care of us today and herding us around the building.
20:13I appreciate that.
20:14And many thanks to everyone here in attendance to honor these special young men here today.
20:20We're humbled and grateful to be here.
20:23The highest honor and the most important tangible goal in our program is to be standing here in the White House with our Commander-in-Chief
20:31and all of you here today.
20:33proudly representing the United States Naval Academy, the entire brigade of midshipmen,
20:40and all the men and women serving in our Navy and our Marine Corps, both past and present.
20:45The young men here on the stage and some of them out here in the audience are some of the best and the brightest that our country has to offer.
20:52In a little over a month, these 23 seniors, these incredible young men standing behind me, will graduate and commission as officers in the United States Navy and Marine Corps under your command, Mr. President.
21:05And they will do so with tremendous character and the core values of duty, honor, courage, and commitment.
21:13I know there have been a lot of great teams.
21:14You mentioned some of those earlier.
21:16Come through here.
21:16Collegiate, professional, world champions, national champions.
21:20That have been honored here at the White House.
21:24But, Mr. President, this is your team.
21:25This is America's team.
21:27And the CIC Trophy is the most coveted and honorable trophy in all of college sports.
21:32And it's our objective to come back here and get to know you a little bit better over the course of your tenure.
21:38This time, I'd like to bring up our two captains, Dabo Fofana and Colin Ramos, to present you, Mr. President, with a couple of nice gifts.
21:46Go Navy.
21:47Beat everyone.
21:47Go Navy.
21:47Beat everyone.
21:55Wow.
21:55That's a beauty.
22:00That's fantastic.
22:01Let me do this.
22:02Come on up.
22:04Come on over.
22:05Come on over, Coach.
22:14Thank you very, very much.
22:20We're going to bring the team and a few of your special friends down to the Oval Office.
22:24And I'll carry this with me and I'll pretend I'm a great football player.
22:31Okay?
22:32Thank you all.