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Governor Ned Lamont decided to snub the graduates at the United States Coast Guard Academy yesterday over political differences with President Donald Trump.
Josh Elliott, who is facing off against Lamont in the democrat gubernatorial primary in August, also skipped the festivities.
Ryan Fazio, who just secured the CT GOP endorsement for governor, attended the commencement, but he was not invited by nor did he ask to meet with Trump. The way Hearst's TDS-afflicted journalist, Dan Haar, positioned it in his biased article was that Fazio had the "luxury" of "avoiding the appearance of too much fealty to the divisive leader."
Haar asked if Fazio wanted to meet Trump. "Anytime you have an opportunity to have an audience with the president of the United States no matter their party, it's probably good for your state," he told Haar.
Mark Pazniokas from CT Mirror said Fazio had reached out to the White House for a potential endorsement prior to earning the GOP nomination, and asked if Fazio was still "seeking an endorsement or campaign appearance" from Trump.
Fazio said he was “focused on Connecticut voters" and would "appreciate the support of anyone, any of our leaders in any party, in order to win statewide in Connecticut."
The Connecticut Democrat Party noted Fazio's presence at the graduation.
"Ryan Fazio was in the stands. He can speak up for the cadets or pretend Trump acted Presidential," wrote the Connecticut Democrat Party on Facebook. "Which will he choose?"
Today, Fazio posted on X that he was honored to attend the commencement.
"Being home to the USCGA is one of the proudest hallmarks of our great state, and Connecticut is so proud of the young men & women who graduated yesterday from one of the nation’s most prestigious military institutions," said Fazio. "Go on and show the world how the Coast Guard is Always Ready!"
Prior to the commencement ceremonies, a couple hundred protesters gathered outside in New London’s McKinley Park sporting the same signs they've been dragging to every other "no kings" protest since Trump took office.
The Centinal noticed a familiar face in the crowd: Dan Garrett showed up to the protest with a "Free Palestine" flag instead of the "blood-spattered" Israeli flag that he had previously used... the one that triggered a hate report to the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven.
The protesters said they were "gathering in the spirit of non-violence" to highlight the "dismantling of American democracy."
Of course, nothing shows the "spirit of non-violence" better than a bunch of "86-47" signs.
Footage of Trump's motorcade spread like wildfire on social media.
Ronald Carter wrote on X, "here's what nobody wants to say out loud.. this is his first Connecticut appearance since reelection.. and he didn't come back for a fundraiser.. he didn't come back for a rally. he came back for cadets."
President Trump praised the graduating cadets as entering a new “Golden Age” of American strength and dominance. He congratulated them on their perseverance, called them America’s “first defenders” and “first responders,” and highlighted Coast Guard achievements under his administration (record drug interdictions, new icebreakers, academy funding).
Trump emphasized themes of resilience (“always push forward, never surrender”), hard work, and national resurgence, touching on foreign policy wins involving China, Venezuela, and the ongoing Iran conflict.
He jokingly claimed to be the first president to give a second keynote at the academy and quipped about possibly returning in 2028 or 2032.
He ended with personal advice: work hard, never give up, and “keep your eyes on the boat,” while recognizing standout cadets on stage.
You can watch Trump's full comments here:
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