TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — President Donald Trump was addressing graduating students at the University of Alabama on Thursday, a visit that drew hundreds of protesters to an off-campus rally.

Trump’s remarks in Tuscaloosa are the Republican president’s first address to graduates in his second term and come as he has been celebrating the first 100 days of his administration. The previously scheduled visit came shortly after he announced a shake-up to his national security team, with Mike Waltz being tapped for United Nations ambassador and Secretary of State Marco Rubio taking over Waltz’s national security adviser role on an interim basis.

“What a nice looking group this is,” Trump said to open his speech. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be than Tuscaloosa.”

Alabama, where Trump won a commanding 64% of the vote in 2024, is where he has staged a number of his trademark large rallies over the past decade. While Trump has described the speech as a commencement address, it is actually a special event that was created before graduation ceremonies that begin Friday.

— The Associated Press