5/25/2025

My Dear Friend & POTUS, DJT,

            Thanks for uplifting the graduates of Westpoint yesterday. The advice you provided was spot on – do what you love, follow your instincts, think big, & work hard. All sound suggestions that we need to keep hearing throughout our lives.

            I love that you referred to Ike three times. I wondered when he said, “"Whenever I run into a problem that I can't solve, I always like to make it bigger to solve it & solve more of it." I’m intrigued because it’s the opposite of the suggestions that Polya made about problem solving in math, which was to make the problem simpler.

            I appreciated that you shared the story of graduate Ricky McMahon & his dad. Ricky will never take off his ring since it has a bit of his dad’s ring in it, but I’m sure he’d rather have a living dad, rather than the ring.

            I loved your emphasis on change, not being “yes” men & “the courage to take risks & to do things differently. I was surprised you were talking about Levitt again & how his momentum was gone after he sold his company. Are you worried you might follow in his footsteps & lose yours?

            I’m sure many in the stadium loved every word you said, but I suspect the 200 female cadets cringed when they heard the phrase, “trophy wives,” which reduces women to what they look like. I’m sure those newly minted Army officers would  prefer to hear you talking about the intelligence, strength & courage of women, rather than their physical attractiveness.

            You missed an opportunity to recognize Peter Wang. He was a JROTC when he held the door open for students fleeing the mass shooting in Parkland before being shot for his heroism. He aspired to attend West Point, so they admitted him posthumously to the 2025 West Point class.

            I hope you don’t miss the opportunity to acknowledge George Floyd’s murder. That dark moment in our history is a reminder that we have a way to go before we get to the color-blind nation that MLK dreamed about.

            Finally, as usual, I invite you to join me in holding the people of Burma in the Light.

            BYBS,