President warns army cadets against 'passion and prejudice', after bowing to pressure over Juneteenth rally

Trump ad trails new rallies despite coronavirus pandemic

Donald Trump attended the US Military Academy's graduation for West Point in New York on Saturday, where he gave a commencement speech warning against "passion and prejudice" during moments of that are "turbulent" and "rough".

The comments came nearly two weeks after the president threatened to deploy the military to cities across the United States to control Black Lives Matter protests, which out of anger towards police brutality displayed against African Americans.

Mr Trump also mentioned the coronavirus during his speech, declaring how the US will "vanquish" the "invisible enemy", just a few days after cases in the country topped 2 million people and the CDC warned the death toll could reach 130,000 by 4 July. Following the graduation ceremony, the president returned to his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey where he is staying for the weekend.

The Trump campaign faced backlash this week for scheduling Mr Trump's first campaign rally since the start of the coronavirus pandemic on Juneteenth in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In a move not often seen by the president, he bowed to pressure and moved the date of the rally to prevent further backlash. Now the rally would take place on 20 June.

Conversations surrounding the president's controversial walk from the White House to St John's Episcopal Church last week only continue, as the Secret Service amends its initial statement about the event.

The agency previously said no pepper spray was used on protesters in Lafayette Park as a means to disperse the crowd so Mr Trump could make his walk. But now the agency has said one employee used the pepper spray "in response to an assaultive individual".

Key Points

• Trump warns army graduates against 'passion and prejudice'
• President changes Tulsa rally date following backlash
• Trump administration rolls back Obama-era healthcare protections
• Dr Fauci raises concerns about Covid-19 risk at Trump rallies
• Trump says police chokeholds sound ‘so innocent, so perfect’

[13 June 2020 15:10 · Danielle Zoellner]

Facebook fires worker who protested Mark Zuckerberg's inaction over Trump's inflammatory posts

Facebook fired an employee who had criticised Mark Zuckerberg's decision not to take action against inflammatory posts by Donald Trump this month, citing his tweet challenging a colleague's silence on the issue.

Brandon Dail, a user interface engineer in Seattle, wrote on Twitter that he was dismissed for publicly scolding a colleague who had refused to include a statement of support for the Black Lives Matter movement on developer documents he was publishing.

Katie Paul on this story:

[13 June 2020 15:34 · Danielle Zoellner]

Donald Trump arrives to West Point ahead of delivering commencement address 

The president arrives on Marine One to West Point, New York, on Saturday morning ahead of delivering his commencement address for the US Military Academy. 

Upon arrival, it looks as though he comments on the nice weather for the graduation when greeting Lieutenent General Darryl Williams. 

 

President Donald Trump arrives to West Point, New York, ahead of speaking during the US Military Academy's graduation ceremony (AP)

The president greeted Lieutenant General Darryl Williams ahead of commencement (AP)

[13 June 2020 15:59 · Danielle Zoellner]

President alludes to "rule of law" when speaking at West Point's graduation ceremony

Donald Trump struck a formal tone for his commencement speech during the US Military Academy's graduation ceremony. 

"To the eleven hundred and seven cadets who today become the newest officers in the most exceptional Army ever to take the field of battle, I am here to offer America's salute. Thank you for answering your nation's call," he said. 

But the president also made sure to weave in what's going on in the country, including the coronavirus pandemic and recent police brutality protests. 

He praised the National Guard for maintaining "constitutional rule of law on our streets" against protesters.

Recent talking points for the president have been focused on "law and order" across the country.  

[13 June 2020 16:09 · Danielle Zoellner]

Trump praises US military for standing against 'passions and prejudices of the moment' weeks after threatening to deploy soldiers to quell protests Richard Hall has the latest on Trump's commencement address at West Point:

[13 June 2020 16:19 · Danielle Zoellner]

Donald Trump muses over his birthday being the same as the Army's 

The president's West Point commencement address during the US Military Academy's graduation ceremony included mentioning the Army's birthday, which is celebrated 14 June. 

Trump's birthday is also on 14 June, and the president wondered allowed if that was an "accident". 

"I don't know if that happened on accident," Mr Trump said. 

The president will turn 74 years old on Sunday. 

[13 June 2020 16:40 · Danielle Zoellner]

President to return to his Bedminster golf club following graduation ceremony

Donald Trump will return to his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club Saturday afternoon after his commencement address for West Point's graduation ceremony. 

The president travelled to the golf club on Friday and later dined with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy to discuss the state's reopening and recovery from the coronavirus. 

Tweets on Friday night by the president boasted a successful meeting and conversation with the Democratic governor. 

He is expected to stay at the golf club for the weekend. 

[13 June 2020 16:59 · Danielle Zoellner]

Veterans group condemns Trump for keeping US bases' Confederate names

​

Donald Trump's refusal to change military bases named after Confederate generals continues to spark backlash, with a veterans group the latest to speak out.

VoteVets, a progressive veterans group often vocal against the current president, released a new video condemning Mr Trump's position.

"Our new ad cuts to the chase, and pulls no punches: We'd never name bases after America's enemies, like Osama bin Laden. Why does Donald Trump so desperately want to keep the names of other racist enemies on our Army bases," the group wrote on Twitter when sharing its latest ad.

Our story about the ad: 

[13 June 2020 17:13 · Danielle Zoellner]

Trump says he will 'go on and do other things' if he loses to Biden

Donald Trump shrugged off an accusation from Joe Biden that he would try to steal the election, saying if he does not win he will "go on and do other things".

"Certainly if I don't win, I don't win. I mean, you know, go on and do other things," Mr Trump said during a Fox News interview that aired on Friday afternoon.

"I think that would be a very sad thing for our country," he added.

Mr Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, predicted during an interview on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah on Wednesday that Mr Trump "is going to try to steal this election". Mr Biden called it his "single greatest concern".

Colby Itkowitz reports: 

[13 June 2020 17:38 · Danielle Zoellner]

Trump declares US will 'vanquish' coronavirus during commencement speech

Donald Trump mentioned the coronavirus pandemic when speaking with 1,110 graduates at West Point's graduation ceremony. 

"We will vanquish the virus, we will extinguish this plague," he said, calling Covid-19 the "invisible enemy". 

Coronavirus cases rose to past 2 million cases in recent days and the death toll stands at 114,790. Heath experts have recently warned the death toll could reach 200,000 by September, as more and more states reopen more industries. 

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention also released a new projection on Friday that the death toll could stand at 130,000 by 4 July. 

[13 June 2020 17:56 · Danielle Zoellner]

CDC releases updated guidelines as more states reopen

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidelines for Americans to follow when going out in a public, something people have long awaited as more states reopen. 

No matter where people were going, the CDC recommended general guidelines like wearing masks, practicing social distancing, and avoiding large crowds to prevent themselves from the coronavirus. 

The organisation then split up recommendations depending on if one was going to a get-together, vacation, or gym. 

For get-togethers with friends, holding it outside was advised as the best option because it keeps the space open and ventilated – making it harder for the virus to travel from one person to another. Other recommendations included asking guests to wash their hands when they arrive, spacing out tables, only have one person serve the food, and having a complete list of those at the event in case an outbreak occurs. 

Those who want to attend gyms as they reopen are asked to wipe down machines they use, wear a mask when possible, avoid physical interactions with other patrons, and refrain from sharing equipment unless it has been disinfected between each use. 

The CDC also released guidelines for vacations as the summer months get into full swing. It was advised for people staying places overnight to bring gloves if performing their own disinfecting of the space. Taking the stairs over elevators in larger hotels was also recommended, and people are advised to stay away from communal spaces as much as possible.