by Kate Santini
NEW LONDON, CT — As the U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s Class of 2026 prepared to receive their diplomas, a crowd outside the academy was protesting the ceremony’s keynote speaker, President Donald Trump.
About 100 protesters gathered at McKinley Park in New London, located down the road from the academy. The Unify and Resist Coalition has staged an antiwar protest for the past 27 years, but this time the event drew a larger crowd due to Trump’s presence. Last year, the coalition held a protest when former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem delivered the commencement address.
“Things are different this year with Donald Trump and the unconstitutional actions and wars that he has been waging and the attacks domestically on our trans and immigrant neighbors and people of color,” said one of the organizers, who gave her name as Mackenzie.
At the front of the protesters, a small group of Trump supporters stood hoping to catch a glimpse of the presidential motorcade on the way to the academy.
This is not the first time President Trump has spoken at the academy. He previously gave the commencement speech to graduates from the class of 2017 during his first term in office.
“It’s a true honor to be here on this magnificent day at one of the most prestigious military academies,” Trump said during his speech. “I am thrilled to become the first president to ever give a second keynote address to this storied institution. We’ll have to try it a third time.”
Trump went on to describe the U.S. as the hottest country in the world, and the one with the strongest and military.
“We are here to support America and the president,” said one of them.
Protesters gather in New London ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to the U.S. Coast Academy on May 20, 2026. Credit: Kate Santini / CTNewsJunkie.com
Police at the event did not report any clashes between the two groups.
In the hours leading up to the graduation ceremony, protesters waved signs, cheered as cars driving by honked their horns, chanting “this is what democracy looks like.”
One protester, a retired teacher from Rhode Island, said she was there for her students that are growing up in the current world. Another agreed that the protest was for the younger generation, which will be more affected by the current situation.
The Secret Service questioned a handful of protesters carrying “86/47” signs, a reference to getting Trump out of office.
“We don’t have democracy anymore,” said Dan Garrett, who is mounting a primary challenge for the state House of Representatives seat currently held by Josh Elliott, who is himself challenging Gov. Ned Lamont in a primary.
Garrett characterized politicians as elitists who side with the military industrial complex instead of with the American people.