University Of Alabama Gives Additional Details Ahead Of Trump Visit

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The University of Alabama has confirmed that President Donald Trump will deliver a spring commencement address at a standalone ticketed event on Thursday, May 1 in Coleman Coliseum.

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"The University of Alabama is honored to have been selected as one of the universities President Donald J. Trump will visit to deliver a spring commencement address," the university said in an official statement, revealing that UA was selected by the Trump administration, along with West Point, as schools the president planned to visit during the graduation season.

As Patch previously reported, Trump first made the announcement on his social media website, Truth Social, leading many to speculate he would speak during one of the large commencement ceremonies.

UA says the ticketed event on May 1 will be open to all spring 2025 graduates and will not interfere with pre-planned graduation ceremonies set for May 2-4.

University officials said campus logistics and security measures are being carefully coordinated, and ticketing information for graduates and other event details will be made public in the coming days.

"What a tremendous honor for my alma mater," U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, a Republican and Alabama's junior senator, said in a social media post. "Looking forward to a historic occasion for graduates and their families."

This will mark Trump’s second visit to the UA campus in less than a year, following his appearance at the Crimson Tide's 2024 football game against Georgia.

While this will be Trump's third visit to Tuscaloosa since embarking on a political career — and second as president — he will also become the second sitting president to speak on the UA campus, following Ronald Reagan's visit and speech in Coleman Coliseum in 1984.

ALSO READ: A Look Back To When Ronald Reagan Came To Tuscaloosa

The announcement has already prompted some backlash from the Tuscaloosa community, with the progressive advocacy group Indivisible Tuscaloosa and the Tuscaloosa County Democratic Party asking for concerned citizens to call and email University of Alabama President Stuart Bell to demand he put a stop to the president's visit.

“Trump’s attendance at UA is fast-turning into a political rally per the students," Tuscaloosa County Democratic Party Chair Judith Taylor told Patch. "They are making it clear that this is a campaign rally dressed up by UA to please Trump's ego.”

Indeed, news of Trump's visit comes amid the high-profile immigration case involving UA doctoral student and Iranian citizen Alireza Doroudi, who has been in federal custody for nearly a month after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Tuscaloosa.

"The University is an institution of learning, not a stage for political platforming," organizers said in a letter being circulated with the goal of gathering signatures. "The commencement ceremony is a time of celebration for our students. It would be a serious mistake to allow President Trump to take resources and attention away from the purpose of this ceremony while spreading his lies, misinformation, and hatred."

The University of Alabama College Democrats (UACD) also condemned the visit of "our unpopular, divisive, and authoritarian" president.

"This insult will not go unanswered," the college political group said in a statement. "The last time the disgraced criminal visited campus, he was able to turn the Alabama-Georgia game, the biggest college football game on our campus in years, into a political sideshow. We cannot allow this to happen with our commencement ceremonies. For all of his meddling in UA affairs, Donald Trump lost our campus to former Vice President Kamala Harris last semester. UA is not a fascist playground."

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