Trump tells Naval Academy graduates ‘they are respecting us again’

President Trump on Friday touted his efforts to strengthen the U.S. military, telling graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy that they are joining “the greatest fighting force for peace, justice, and freedom in the history of the world.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, we have become a lot stronger lately,” Trump said during a commencement address. “A lot. We are not going to apologize for America. We are going to stand up for America. No more apologies.” {mosads}

Speaking to roughly 1,000 graduates at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md., Trump said his efforts have boosted the nation’s prestige in the eyes of the world.

“We’ve regained our identity. We’ve recovered our stride,” Trump said, adding that “yes, they are respecting us again” and ”yes, America is back.”

The president highlighted the $700 billion approved by Congress this year in defense spending, saying it will help boost the size of the Navy’s fleet to 355, including a new aircraft carrier and submarines.

“No money for the military? Those days are over,” he said.

Trump’s address comes one day after he scrapped a planned nuclear summit with North Korea, raising fears of renewed tensions in the region.

The president told the newly commissioned Navy and Marine Corps officers he hopes they never have to use all their new equipment, but that they must be prepared to defend the country.

“We know that the best way to prevent war is to be fully prepared for war,” he said.

Trump told reporters earlier at the White House that the North Korea summit could still go ahead as scheduled, but did not make direct reference to the meeting in his commencement speech.