President Donald Trump will deliver a historic speech ahead of the University of Alabama's 2025 graduation ceremonies.The announcement came with mixed reactions and planned protests on campus.Video above: Alabama NAACP condemns President Trump's University of Alabama visitStay with 米兰体育 13 on-air and online for the latest information about the presidential visit and speech. Download our app and turn on notifications.Event detailsWhen: Thursday, May 1, at 6:30 p.m. CSTWhere: Coleman Coliseum Trump is expected to arrive at Tuscaloosa National Airport at 6:15 p.m. and travel to the University of Alabama, according to the White House itinerary. He will deliver remarks at the commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. and depart for the airport at 7:55 p.m.Ticket detailsTickets are free for spring graduates and are non-transferable. Free tickets were also offered to graduates鈥� guests; summer and fall graduates and their guests; as well as a limited number of tickets for faculty, staff and other students. Only those who receive tickets will be allowed to attend the optional, closed event. The university will send ticket information directly to graduates. ParkingParking for attendees will be available in the Soccer Lot, which can be accessed from University Boulevard with shuttle bus services to and from Coleman Coliseum. Businesses in the area have posted on social media that they were notified of road closures. The specific roads and times have not been announced at this time.Security detailsAttendees are encouraged to arrive at least two hours early because of security measures. Doors to the Coliseum will open at 3 p.m.Everyone attending the event will have to follow Alabama's clear bag policy. There are additional prohibited items, which are listed below.Additional speakersUA President Stuart R. Bell and Nick Saban, former coach of the Crimson Tide football team, will also make comments during the event.Protests on campusWhile some students expressed excitement about having a president at their graduation, others voiced concerns.A petition, called "Tide Against Tyranny: Say No to Trump at Graduation," has more than 25,000 signatures."As students and alumni of the University of Alabama, we respectfully express our strong opposition to President Donald Trump being selected as the speaker for the 2025 Commencement Ceremony," the first line of the petition states.Video below: University of Alabama College Democrats, Republicans react to President Trump's visitThe University of Alabama Democrats announced plans to protest the event, citing grievances with the Trump administration. Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative for Texas, is speaking at one of the protests."Overcoming Donald Trump鈥檚 dangerous attacks on our fellow Americans demands that we organize everywhere, including in communities that are too often written off or taken for granted," O'Rourke said. "While Trump is coming to Alabama to divide and demean, we are bringing people together to fight for our neighbors, our freedoms, our democracy, and our future. We invite Americans of all backgrounds to join us in uniting and proving that the power of people is bigger than the power of any president.""The Trump administration kidnapped one of our Ph.D. students for no reason a few weeks ago and is holding him without bond at an ICE black site in Louisiana," UA Democrats said in a statement. "There is no greater insult than this."Alireza Doroudi, a mechanical engineering doctoral student from Iran, is being held in the Jena/LaSalle Detention Facility in Louisiana. ICE detained him in March from his off-campus house because he "posed significant national security concerns," according to a Department of Homeland Security statement."What鈥檚 most troubling is that the burden of proof has effectively been placed on Mr. Doroudi to disprove a threat that was never substantiated in the first place," said Doroudi's attorney, David Roza, in a statement. "Our legal system is not built on proving a negative, and yet that鈥檚 exactly what is being asked of us. According to ICE鈥檚 own database, Mr. Doroudi鈥檚 student visa appears to be valid, making his continued detention all the more concerning."Doroudi was denied bond on April 17. His legal team plans to appeal the decision.>> Video shows ICE detaining University of Alabama student outside Tuscaloosa apartmentICE arrests under the Trump administrationWhen Trump took office, he began issuing a record number of executive orders, with many centering on the nation's immigration and border enforcement policies.These orders range from the ending of birthright citizenship to expanded use of expedited removals. They also address people seeking refuge or asylum 鈥� with an order to end the U.S. refugee program and the halting of an app used by migrants to make appointments before arriving at the border. Another order focuses on the deployment of resources, specifically the military, to border enforcement. Trump's connection to UAThis will be Trump's third visit to the University of Alabama. He previously attended high-profile football games, including last season's game against Georgia, where he was seen waving to the crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox has been there for the first two visits by the president and said that, at this point, they have a good handle on what it takes to get ready for a visit from the leader of the free world.Maddox said he has no idea what the president will talk about during his appearance, but he knows what he'd like to hear."I'd certainly like to see him reference the strength of the University of Alabama and the continued investments, especially the research and development arms, because that is where the federal government can help the University the most, which helps Tuscaloosa the most," Maddox said. "That would be something, to me, that would be a positive."A historic momentThis marks the first time a sitting president will deliver a graduation speech at the University of Alabama, according to Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama. Britt called the event a "milestone weekend" and said it would be memorable for graduates and their families.PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — President Donald Trump will deliver a historic speech ahead of the University of Alabama's 2025 graduation ceremonies.
The announcement came with mixed reactions and planned protests on campus.
Video above: Alabama NAACP condemns President Trump's University of Alabama visit
Stay with 米兰体育 13 on-air and online for the latest information about the presidential visit and speech. Download our app and turn on notifications.
Event details
- When: Thursday, May 1, at 6:30 p.m. CST
- Where: Coleman Coliseum
Trump is expected to arrive at Tuscaloosa National Airport at 6:15 p.m. and travel to the University of Alabama, according to the White House itinerary.
He will deliver remarks at the commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. and depart for the airport at 7:55 p.m.
Ticket details
Tickets are free for spring graduates and are non-transferable.
Free tickets were also offered to graduates鈥� guests; summer and fall graduates and their guests; as well as a limited number of tickets for faculty, staff and other students.
Only those who receive tickets will be allowed to attend the optional, closed event. The university will send ticket information directly to graduates.
Parking
Parking for attendees will be available in the Soccer Lot, which can be accessed from University Boulevard with shuttle bus services to and from Coleman Coliseum.
Businesses in the area have posted on social media that they were notified of road closures. The specific roads and times have not been announced at this time.
Security details
Attendees are encouraged to arrive at least two hours early because of security measures. Doors to the Coliseum will open at 3 p.m.
Everyone attending the event will have to follow . There are additional prohibited items, which are listed below.
Additional speakers
UA President Stuart R. Bell and Nick Saban, former coach of the Crimson Tide football team, will also make comments during the event.
Protests on campus
While some students expressed excitement about having a president at their graduation, others voiced concerns.
, called "Tide Against Tyranny: Say No to Trump at Graduation," has more than 25,000 signatures.
"As students and alumni of the University of Alabama, we respectfully express our strong opposition to President Donald Trump being selected as the speaker for the 2025 Commencement Ceremony," the first line of the petition states.
Video below: University of Alabama College Democrats, Republicans react to President Trump's visit
The University of Alabama Democrats announced plans to protest the event, citing grievances with the Trump administration.
Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative for Texas, is speaking at one of the protests.
"Overcoming Donald Trump鈥檚 dangerous attacks on our fellow Americans demands that we organize everywhere, including in communities that are too often written off or taken for granted," O'Rourke said. "While Trump is coming to Alabama to divide and demean, we are bringing people together to fight for our neighbors, our freedoms, our democracy, and our future. We invite Americans of all backgrounds to join us in uniting and proving that the power of people is bigger than the power of any president."
"The Trump administration kidnapped one of our Ph.D. students for no reason a few weeks ago and is holding him without bond at an ICE black site in Louisiana," UA Democrats said in a statement. "There is no greater insult than this."
Alireza Doroudi, a mechanical engineering doctoral student from Iran, is being held in the . ICE detained him in March from his off-campus house because he "posed significant national security concerns," according to a Department of Homeland Security statement.
"What鈥檚 most troubling is that the burden of proof has effectively been placed on Mr. Doroudi to disprove a threat that was never substantiated in the first place," said Doroudi's attorney, David Roza, in a statement. "Our legal system is not built on proving a negative, and yet that鈥檚 exactly what is being asked of us. According to ICE鈥檚 own database, Mr. Doroudi鈥檚 student visa appears to be valid, making his continued detention all the more concerning."
Doroudi was denied bond on April 17. His legal team plans to appeal the decision.
>> Video shows ICE detaining University of Alabama student outside Tuscaloosa apartment
ICE arrests under the Trump administration
When Trump took office, he began issuing a record number of executive orders, with many centering on the nation's immigration and border enforcement policies.
These orders range from the ending of birthright citizenship to expanded use of expedited removals. They also address people seeking refuge or asylum 鈥� with an order to end the U.S. refugee program and the halting of an app used by migrants to make appointments before arriving at the border. Another order focuses on the deployment of resources, , to border enforcement.
Trump's connection to UA
This will be Trump's third visit to the University of Alabama. He previously attended high-profile football games, including last season's game against Georgia, where he was seen waving to the crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox has been there for the first two visits by the president and said that, at this point, they have a good handle on what it takes to get ready for a visit from the leader of the free world.
Maddox said he has no idea what the president will talk about during his appearance, but he knows what he'd like to hear.
"I'd certainly like to see him reference the strength of the University of Alabama and the continued investments, especially the research and development arms, because that is where the federal government can help the University the most, which helps Tuscaloosa the most," Maddox said. "That would be something, to me, that would be a positive."
A historic moment
This marks the first time a sitting president will deliver a graduation speech at the University of Alabama, according to Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama. Britt called the event a "milestone weekend" and said it would be memorable for graduates and their families.
