Carter Outdraws Trump at Liberty Commencement
May 2018 - Oh, boy, Donald is not going to be happy about this one.
Former President Jimmy Carter gave the commencement address to this year's graduating class at Liberty University, a year after Mr. Trump spoke to the school's 2017 graduating class. Liberty is the evangelical school in Lynchburg, Virginia, founded by the Reverend Jerry Falwell, who also headed the political lobbying organization known as the Moral Majority.
Getting a lot of play on social media was a last minute addition that Mr. Carter inserted into his prepared remarks. It referenced a comment made to him by Liberty President Jerry Falwell Jr., shortly before the former President delivered his address:
"This is a wonderful crowd. It's even bigger -- and I hate to say this -- than it was last year. I don't know if President Trump will admit that or not."
(President Carter delivering his address; Jerry Falwell, Jr. in background - image from AP)
The crowd seemed to enjoy the subtle jab at Mr. Trump, who famously has tried to insist that the crowd at his inauguration was the largest inaugural crowd on record. All evidence clearly shows it was not.
The main themes of Mr. Carter's commencement remarks were drawn from his deep Christian faith and included a discussion of inequality in the world today, particularly as it pertains to the discrimination against women, but also to the distribution of wealth throughout the globe. He spoke on the threat of war as well, criticizing the rhetoric of politicians and also many members of the public who too often seem to view war as a preferred solution to international disagreements. He countered this rush to war by using the example of Jesus Christ, saying we need to learn "to get along with our potential enemies, instead of how we can prevail in combat."
He called on Christians in general, and Baptists in particular (both Mr. Carter and Mr. Falwell are Baptists), to focus on their shared beliefs as opposed to their differences.
Mr. Trump also received some minor ribbing in another 2018 graduation-related address, this one delivered at Yale University by Hillary Clinton,. At one point, Mrs. Clinton brought out a Russian fur hat saying, "…if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!" poking fun at Mr. Trump's admiration for, and deference to, Russian President Vladimir Putin. In her speech, Mrs. Clinton called out political leaders who "blatantly incite people with hateful rhetoric", and urged the students to vote and to keep democracy healthy by standing up for reason and facts.
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